Legends of Kakarott
by tomorrow4eva
Summary: Alt DB universe. How does DB/DBZ adapt to a retelling in a medieval style world? Plenty of fun and action as the DB and DBZ cast begin their legendary adventures through an oddly familiar new world...
1. "What is the magic girl looking for? Kak...

**Legends of Kakarott**   
Alternative Dragonball universe. Medieval retelling. 

By tomorrow_4eva   
Disclaimer: DBZ characters property of Akira Toriyama. 

This story is set in a medieval style of world. Bra is not Bulma and Vegeta's daughter. Kakarott is the Son Goku of this alternative universe. All else shall be revealed.   
Many thanks to Anja for helping me come up with the original concepts for this story. 

**Chapter One: What is the magic girl looking for? Kakarott gets lost.**

Warning: Mild language 

  
There was just no getting around it. Kakarott was lost. Very lost. He scratched his head as he sat on a damp rock. It made absolutely no sense to him how he could be lost, and yet he was. He was in a jungle. That meant he was probably in or near the Animal Kingdom. So, if he walked for long enough in one direction, he should get out of it, and hopefully back to Saiyajin territory. But he'd been walking all day (he'd even tried flying) and for some reason he had yet to get out of the jungle. He'd flown as high as he could, and seen the desert off in one direction, and a large blue area on the other side, and flown towards the desert... but then he'd gotten hungry, and landed, and eaten, and fallen asleep, and now it was dark. 

Sighing, because he'd probably gotten everyone annoyed with him, he started sensing for Ki large enough to be intelligent life. He found one rather quickly, and jumped off the rock, secured his shoulder bag, then set off at a brisk pace towards the Ki.   
  


Kakarott could smell something before he could see whoever it was. Something that smelt delicious. Creeping silently up behind some ferns, he found himself staring at a large flat square of... material? floating in the middle of the jungle, a little bit off the ground. Seated on it was a girl, with short black hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was eating something, and playing around with the flat, round, metal amulet she was wearing. She was also human, which meant he'd probably scare her. Still, that food smelt great, and he really needed directions. 

"Hello?" Kakarott called out, not stepping out yet. 

The girl stiffened and quickly stuck her amulet down the front of her tunic. She straightened up and looked around. "Um, hello?" She called back. 

Kakarott walked out into the clearing, quickly making his tail bunch up flat on his back so it wouldn't show just yet. "Hello," he said again, "um, do you know where we are?" 

She blinked. "The Animal Kingdom," She replied firmly. 

"I know that, but I'm lost, and I need to find my way out," Kakarott said, deciding to cut right to the point. 

"Oh, well, my name is Bra. Actually, I'm just passing through here myself, so, if you want, I'll show you the way out tomorrow," Bra said, eyeing him warily. 

"Um, okay," Kakarott decided. He stood there, wondering what to do next. He frowned slightly, wishing he knew a bit more about how-to-deal-with-humans-when-you-weren't-trying-to-fight-them. 

"Well, are you going to tell me your name?" Bra demanded after a moment of silence. 

"Oh yeah, um, I'm Kakarott..," Kakarott began, walking forward out of the shadows. 

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! You're a Saiyajin!" Bra scrambled backwards in a rush, falling off the edge of her material in an undignified heap. 

"Uh, yeah," Kakarott said, nervously. 

After another moment, when it was clear he wasn't going to attack, Bra stood up, and began straightening her clothes. She looked angry, and Kakarott started to wonder about disappearing back into the jungle and finding his own way out. 

"Well!" She yelled suddenly, then continued in a more normal voice. "Ahem, Karott, I, uh, don't suppose you want something to eat?" 

"Eat? Yes!" Kakarott smiled and walked forward to investigate the rather thin material. Bra jumped back onto it and seated herself, before fixing him with a frown. 

"That's my tent," she said sharply, "well, the bottom of it, anyway. It's perfectly solid, I don't want the bottom wet so I levitated it. You may sit on it instead of standing there poking it." 

He nodded and stepped up onto it, finding that it was indeed solid, it didn't waver or dip or do anything to indicate that it was not planted firmly on flat ground. Bra motioned to her dinner, which was sitting in a large metal bowl. 

"Help yourself, I guess." 

Kakarott immediately did so, all apprehension forgotten in light of a good feed. Bra watched him for a while, then sighed. 

"Look, Karott..." 

"Kakarott," Kakarott muttered helpfully around a mouthful of food. 

"Kakarott," she corrected smoothly, "I'm going to sleep. I sleep over there, on that half of the tent. You may sleep on this half if you wish. Do not touch any of my stuff." She stood up and strode over to the area designated as 'that half' and fiddled with one of many small pouches at her belt before pulling out a large blanket. A blanket way too big to fit into such a small pouch. Kakarott would have asked about it, but there was still some dinner left, and by the time he was finished, Bra was asleep. So he curled up and went to sleep as well.   
  


Kakarott was the first to wake up the next morning. He yawned and stretched, and blinked for a moment before remembering where he was. He looked over to see Bra, still asleep, sprawled all over the tent, her blanket wrapped half around her and half falling off the edge. Curious, he sat and watched her sleep. Suddenly a shrill sound started. Alarmed, Kakarott was up in an instant, looking around for the source of the noise. 

"Mmmeeehhhh," Bra mumbled and sat up sleepily. She snapped her fingers and the noise stopped as suddenly as it had started. She rubbed her eyes and looked over at him. And screamed, and somehow managed to move backwards and fall off the edge of her tent. 

"Shimatta!" She swore, scrambling up, angrily untangling herself from the blanket. 

"Um, girl?" Kakarott asked warily. 

"What?!" She snapped. "My name is Bra. Bra! I told you that last night!" 

"Uh, Bra?" 

"What?!" 

"Are you a sorcerer?" 

"Yes. I am a sorceress. I'm the best sorceress you'll ever meet, so don't attack me and don't think any funny thoughts," Bra said firmly, folding up her blanket as she stepped back up onto the tent. 

"Wow, I've never met a girl sorcerer before," Kakarott said, cocking his head to the side. 

"Really?" Bra asked, all trace of anger gone. "That's odd. Where I come from there's plenty of girls who know a little magic. Oh, not all of them could really call themselves 'sorceresses', but there's a few who could." 

"Where do you come from?" 

"Capsule Kingdom, of course. The best place for magic." 

"Oh. I come from the Saiyajin Empire." 

"Well, duh," Bra said snidely, rolling her eyes. "You're a Saiyajin, where else **would** you come from?" 

"Um... Do you know where the Saiyajin Empire is from here?" Kakarott asked, remembering the reason he was talking to her. 

"Of course I do!" Bra announced. 

"Can you take me there?" Kakarott asked earnestly. 

Bra gave him a strange look. "You know, I've never met a Saiyajin so... never mind. Listen, I'll take you to the border later. Right now, I've got to find something." Bra finished, then took out the amulet Kakarott had seen her playing with before. She held it and suddenly several intense yellow glows dotted the surface. 

"Wow! I'm so close!" Bra shrieked happily. With a smile she bounded down off the tent and started skipping off into the woods. 

"Hey, wait up!" Kakarott called, grabbing his bag and darting after her. He slammed into her back as she stopped and sent them both tumbling. 

"Hey, watch it!" Bra yelled, scrambling up. 

"Uh, sorry," Kakarott said sheepishly. 

Bra looked at him in disbelief, then shook her head. 

"Anyway..," She muttered to herself. She frowned as she looked at her medallion. She looked up and looked around. 

"What are you looking for?" Kakarott asked curiously. 

"Um, an orange ball, about this big," Bra made a rough circle shape with her hands. 

"Oh, this?" Kakarott opened his bag and fished around for a second before pulling it out. An orange ball, about the right size, with four red stars somehow visible in the middle. 

"THAT'S IT!!" She shrieked, and Kakarott winced, wondering how she could possibly make such a loud noise. Bra grabbed the ball out of his hand and hugged it, dancing around in apparent joy. "The four star ball! That makes three! Yes! Mwahahahahahahahaha!" 

Bra spun around and stopped, facing Kakarott. "Thank you so much! I was wondering how it was moving last night, I thought something might have eaten it." 

"Well, it wouldn't break into small enough pieces," Kakarott said seriously. 

"Hey!" Bra yelled crossly. "You idiot! You can't eat this! It's... very special. Where'd you get it, anyway?" 

"I found it in some plants last night, while I was hunting," Kakarott said. 

"Oh. Well, let's see where the next one is, then I can figure out what border to drop you off at. You do look a little young to be out running around, even if you are a Saiyajin." Bra studied her amulet, the yellow dots quickly appearing again. 

"Can I see that?" Kakarott asked. 

"Sure," Bra murmured absently, tilting it so Kakarott could get a good look at it. He frowned at the yellow dots, counting them silently. There were five of them, one at the centre and four more scattered around. 

"You're looking for five orange balls? Are you trying to do some big spell?" 

"Uh, you could say that," Bra smiled at him, then laughed softly. "Anyway," she became serious, "the closest one to here is up on that tiny island. Unfortunately, that's the wrong direction for you. So, I'll tell you what. You can come with me and help me find it, because I'll have to come back to the mainland afterwards to get the others, or I can just point you in the right direction and let you go!" 

"Uh..," Kakarott paused. A real Saiyajin warrior would not have gotten lost in the first place, let along hopelessly lost when even by his own logic he shouldn't be lost. "I'll go with you." 

"You will?" Bra blinked, surprised. "Come on, the Saiyajin Empire is just off that way!" She pointed to her left. "You just keep walking that way, and you can't miss it." 

Kakarott gave her a pitiful look. "I tried flying to it yesterday, and I'm still lost." 

Bra took a deep breath, then bent forward to make eye-contact. "That's a little extreme, huh? How old are you, Kakarott?" 

"I'm twelve. I think." 

"You think?" 

"Well, a while ago Radditz said I'd be twelve soon, and Bardock said that was good, because I could move out of his quarters, and I did a week ago." Kakarott told her. 

"Riiiiight," Bra said, straightening. "Say, these guys, Radditz and Bardock or whatever, they're not going to come looking for you, are they?" 

"I don't think so," Kakarott sighed. 

"Well, you can come with me. That's okay," Bra said quickly. She leant forward again. "Kakarott, can you keep a secret?" 

"Why?" Kakarott wondered, a tiny bit suspicious. 

Bra grinned. "Because if you're coming with me, I might as well tell you what I'm **really** looking for, but you have to promise me you won't tell anyone else!" 

Kakarott was intrigued. "Okay. I promise. I promise on my honour." 

"Honour, huh? That'll do," Bra shrugged. Then she straightened and looked at him with the superiority of one who knows more than the one they're looking at. "**I**... am looking for the legendary** Dragonballs**." 

Kakarott blinked. "The what?" 

"The legendary Dragonballs," Bra said in a stage whisper. 

"What are those?" 

"Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrhhhhhhhh!" Bra threw back her head and shrieked to the jungle. Then she bounced forward so fast Kakarott went into a defensive crouch. She fell to her knees, grabbing the front of his armour. "You can't not know!" She cried, not noticing Kakarott's tenseness. 

Bra put an arm over her forehead, and lent back. "It's impossible!" She let go with the other hand and curled up on the ground, muttering something to herself. 

"Um, you mean that story about the magic Dragonballs that make you immortal if you find them all?" 

"Huh?" Bra looked up. Then she snarled and jumped to her feet, flicked her ponytail over her shoulder and crossed her arms. Kakarott couldn't help leaning back a bit. 

"Whoever told you that was an idiot." 

"Um..." 

"The legendary Dragonballs are seven mystical balls that, when brought together, can summon the dragon Shenlong. Of course, you have to say the right phrase. Once summoned, the dragon Shenlong can grant one wish. Anything you want!" Bra smiled smugly for an instant, then sneered. "I suppose that could be used to wish for immortality." 

"Oh, okay," Kakarott agreed. "What were you going to wish for?" 

Bra drew herself up. "A husband." 

"Oh," Kakarott scratched his head. They stared at each other for a few moments. 

"I suppose you don't know what a husband is," Bra mused. 

"Nope," Kakarott shrugged. 

"Let's get going. I don't like this jungle, and I'd like to get my next Dragonball." 

"Okay."   
  


"Yumcha, I hate this jungle." 

"Sorry, Kashumi, but we've been getting such good pickings. After all, this is the only decent road through this place." 

"**One** good picking, and I still don't like it." 

Yumcha shifted in the tree, trying to get a bit more comfortable. The fungus on the already shaky branch made his position very precarious. 

"Tell you what, sis, if we don't get a mark today, we'll leave." 

"All right!" Blond Kashumi threw him an evil grin from her branch. Suddenly her face dropped and she scowled. "Kuso, I can hear someone coming."   
  


"And after adding the red mountain silver, you boil some water and dump everything in that. There's some chanting and other stuff that's **completely** over your head, and it takes forever, at least two days anyway, but after that: Presto! One Dragon Amulet!" 

Kakarott nodded, not understanding a word of it. 

"I came up with the spell all by myself, too," Bra smirked. "Nobody else has anything like this, and nobody else can make one. Heh heh he-aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" 

Kakarott sprang backwards, barely avoiding being landed on by a man with longish dark hair. The man immediately sprang around, in a fighting stance. Kakarott shifted his to match, his tail curling around his waist. 

Behind the man, Bra was pulled to her feet by a rough looking blond woman. "What's this?" The blond asked angrily. "Some brat of a girl and a miniature Saiyajin? Okay, girlie, let's get this over with. Tell me you have something of value, and you haven't just been wasting my time." 

"Value?" Bra's voice wavered. "I'm just a poor girl, I'm trying to find my Grandmother's village to visit her! I don't have anything valuable on me!" 

"Bah," The other woman answered. "You've gotta have something. Coins?" 

"Nope," Bra shook her head. 

"You have nothing but you're traveling with a Saiyajin?" The man asked over his shoulder, but his eyes never left Kakarott's. The Saiyajin boy found himself snarling slightly. 

"Who are you?" Kakarott demanded. 

"Heh. I'm Yumcha," The man said, tossing his head slightly, as if waiting for recognition. 

"The bandit?" Bra piped up. "Hey, I thought you were terrorizing the countryside near Capsule Kingdom! What are you doing all the way here?" 

"Hey hey hey! Yumcha, you're a stuck-up idiot. Stay on the subject!" The blond shook Bra. "And come on, out with the money, I don't have all day! Yumcha, just bash the little twerp and come give me a hand!" 

Yumcha grinned at Kakarott. "You heard the lady, let's see what you got!" With a cry Yumcha hurtled forward, swinging a fist at Kakarott's head. Kakarott dodged nimbly to the side, and retaliated with a swift kick at Yumcha's jaw. The human, however, had anticipated a counter attack and was already on the move. A leg smashed into Kakarott's ankles, sweeping him to the ground. 

Kakarott hit hard, and rolled quickly to the side, climbing to his feet in a smooth movement. He blocked Yumcha's next two punches, before sending back a few of his own, which were blocked in turn. Kakarott and Yumcha broke apart, eyeing each other. 

Kakarott narrowed his eyes, and darted forward, trying to slam his elbow into Yumcha's stomach, but the human dodged with remarkable speed and brought a fist crashing down on Kakarott's back, forcing him to the ground. Before the Saiyajin could recover, the bandit grabbed one of his ankles, and hoisted him off the ground. Kakarott's eyes widened as Yumcha used his momentum to hurtle the tailed boy into a nearby mess of ferns, tree roots and vines. Kakarott smashed through it and hit the ground with a thud. 

"Not bad, bro," Kashumi commented with a sneer. "Ouph." The air left her lungs in a rush as Bra suddenly slammed her elbow backwards. The black-haired girl twisted, forcing Kashumi to release one of her holds, and slapped the blond woman across the face before pulling free completely. 

"Why you..!" Kashumi straightened, her eyes murderous. "You little bitch!" 

"**I'm** a bitch?! You're sure one to talk!" Bra snapped back. She pulled one of the small pouches on her belt free, and reached in, pulling out what looked like just another sack. 

"Huh? Magic?" Kashumi paused for a moment, trying to figure out how Bra pulled a full sack from an empty one the same size. 

"Blind Dust!" Bra cried, tugging open the full pouch. 

"What?" Yumcha yelped as the air suddenly become full of swirling black clouds. 

"Ah-choo! Ah-choo!" Kashumi's sneezing filled the air. 

"Ack! Lemme go!" Bra's voice cried. There was a thump, then a thud, then some more sneezing. 

"Kashumi?" Yumcha's voice called. 

Kakarott scuttled up, looking around as the smoke cleared. Yumcha was waving his hands to disperse it faster, while a dark-blue haired woman leaned over Bra, who was lying on the ground. 

"Yumcha! Oh, Yumcha, I think she's hurt!" The blue-haired lady cried in a worried voice. Kakarott quickly moved closer, taking a better look. Yumcha sighed and came over, squatting down as the blue-haired girl took Bra's pulse. 

"Oh dear, oh dear," She murmured. "Wake up, please!" She shook Bra gently. 

"Don't worry, Ranchi, I'm sure she's fine," Yumcha said, settling down on the ground. 

"Uh..," Kakarott started. 

"Oooooo, ouch, my head hurts," Bra mumbled, coming to. 

"Oh thank Kami! You're all right!" Ranchi clasped her hands together. 

Bra focused on her. "Who are you?" 

"I'm Ranchi!" Ranchi said, smiling brightly. "Uh, who are you?" 

"I'm Bra," Bra said, sitting up. "Hey, you look just like that Kashumi woman." 

"Who?" Ranchi asked blankly. 

"Never mind," Yumcha interrupted. "Say, why don't you just hand over your money, and we'll leave you in peace." 

"**What** in the **world **makes you so sure I have money on me," Bra demanded, folding her arms. 

"Well, it's just that we haven't been having much luck here," Ranchi explained helpfully. "The jungle doesn't invite many travelers, especially not ones carry valuables." 

"Gee, I wonder why," Bra sneered. "It's only completely soggy with weird natives living in tiny villages you can only find by accident." 

"Hey, come on, lady," Yumcha said, annoyed. 

"Um, are we going to fight or not?" Kakarott asked, confused. 

"Oh my, a **little** Saiyajin!" Ranchi exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" 

"I'm lost," Kakarott told her. 

"Really? But if you follow the road back that way, the main road, not any of the side ones - they just lead to villages - it leads to the main trade road, which goes through the desert," Ranchi said, pointing. 

"Huh?" Kakarott asked, following her finger. "But that's the way I've just come," He frowned at Bra. 

"Hey!" Bra snapped. "What do I look like, a mapmaker?" She bounced to her feet, and reached into one of her magic pouches, fiddling around before pulling out a long cylindrical object. She untied the ribbon on it and let it fall open. "Now. This is a map," She shot a look at Kakarott. "You know what that is, right?" 

"I'm not that stupid," Kakarott grumbled. 

"Yeah. Anyway, here is the Animal Kingdom," She pointed to one area, "and this is the desert, or Saiyajin Empire, or whatever you want to call it. Now, I **told** you we would head away from it before we went towards it. Just because I didn't know you could reach it easily by following the road is no reason to get your tail in a knot." 

Kakarott frowned again, the tip of his tail flicking from it's position around his waist. 

"Where did you get that map from?" Yumcha exclaimed, startled. 

"Are you a magician?" Ranchi asked, wonderingly. 

"Magician?!" Bra scowled. "Don't be ridiculous! I'm a sorceress!" 

"Yeah, right," Yumcha scoffed. "A sorceress, and you don't have any valuables." 

"Oh please," Bra sneered. "Being a sorceress is a lot of work, and we cannot turn metal into gold, no matter what **you've** been told. I can turn gold into less gold, though, if you'd like to see..." 

Yumcha blinked, then frowned at her. 

"What are you doing in the jungle? Looking for special ingredients for your spells?" Ranchi asked, eyes wide. 

"No, she's looking for the Dragonballs," Kakarott answered. They all stared at him. 

"Dragonballs?" Yumcha asked. 

"The ones that grant a wish?" Ranchi questioned Bra. 

"Ha ha ha! Well, that's what the **story** says they do," Bra laughed nervously. "I have no idea whether they **work**." 

"Oh, what would you wish for if they **did**?" Ranchi implored. 

"Um, it's not important," Bra dismissed the question. 

"Ah-choo!" Ranchi sneezed. Her hair turned blond. Kashumi sneered at Bra. "Come on, you have to have some idea. Queen of the world?" 

"No!" Bra scowled. "And what's with the hair?" 

"I'm told my hair changes colour when I sneeze. Immense wealth?" 

"No, and you sure act different when you sneeze too." 

"Yeah whatever. What about immortality?" Kashumi demanded. 

"What the hell is it with people and immortality?" Bra practically screamed. "Do you **want** to live forever?!" 

"Eh," Kashumi shrugged. "Probably not, but I wouldn't mind not being able to be killed. Now spill." 

Bra sighed. "The perfect husband," She muttered. 

"A **husband**?" Yumcha gasped. He dissolved into laughter. Bra scowled. 

"Pay him no heed," Kashumi ordered. She put a hand on Bra's shoulder. "Girl, you have a good head on your neck. I can't think of any other way to find a perfect man. I have a really good idea though. If you're on such a dangerous quest, you need people along who can fight, right? To protect your interests." 

"I guess," Bra narrowed her eyes, glancing at Kashumi's hand. 

"Tell ya what, Yumcha and I will come with you as hired help. We find the Dragonballs. You wish for a perfect husband and immense wealth. We get the wealth, and you can keep the husband." 

"Hmm," Bra mused, her eyes slowing lighting up. "I think I like that idea!" 

"What?! You've got to be kidding!" Yumcha exclaimed. "Kashumi, there's no guarantee the Dragonballs will work, they're a children's bedtime story! And even if they do, we'll spend the **rest **of our lives searching for them!" 

"Bah, rubbish," Bra snorted. "I've already found three, and I know where the other four are." 

"You do?" Kashumi stared at her. 

"Mm hm," Bra nodded, pulling out her amulet smugly. "I **created** this amulet." The yellow dots appeared. "These lights indicate the locations of Dragonballs. It's especially tuned to their magical energy." 

"But there are only five dots," Yumcha pointed out. 

"Of course! I have three of them on me, and I'm condensing the world into this tiny circle!" Bra snapped. "There are three dots in the same place!" 

"Use your head, Yumcha," Kashumi scowled. 

Yumcha scowled back. 

"Hey, are you sure I can get to the Saiyajin Empire by following the road?" Kakarott asked Kashumi. 

"Huh? Yeah sure, kid. Follow the main road, and you'll end up in the desert," Kashumi told him. 

"The desert?" Kakarott frowned. 

"What, that's your Empire, isn't it?" Yumcha asked. 

"Nah," Bra waved a hand. "Any good mapmaker'll tell you, after you draw in all the **real** kingdoms and empires, you just label the rest of the space 'Here there be Saiyajin' so it doesn't look so blank." 

"You know, he's awfully quiet for a Saiyajin," Kashumi commented. 

"Yeah, I noticed," Bra said. "I think he's a bit... slow." 

"Oh," The blond girl nodded. 

"Great, now even humans are telling me I'm stupid," Kakarott scowled. He turned around and started walking off down the road. 

"Good luck, Kakarott!" Bra called after him. "I hope you don't get lost again!" 

"Okay," Kashumi asked. "Where's this next Dragonball?"   
  


"Vegeta-Ouji," The tall Saiyajin bowed slightly. 

"What is it, Radditz?" Vegeta asked in a bored tone. 

"Uh, I was wondering... my brother, Kakarott went out on a scouting mission two days ago and he hasn't come back yet. If you weren't planning on doing anything interesting tomorrow, I'd... **like** to go look for him," Radditz said, his tone indicating that he wanted to only because someone else was pressuring him. 

"Kakarott's missing, huh?" Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Probably got himself killed by some humans." 

"Actually, I think he's lost." 

"Lost." 

"Yeah, you know, he just hasn't been the same since that bump on the head," Radditz reminded him. 

"I'm perfectly aware of that," Vegeta snapped. 

"So, can I go?" 

"I suppose your father talked you into this?" 

"Well, Tabelu had a word or two to say about it." 

"I thought she dismissed Kakarott from her services. Too stupid." 

"No disrespect, Vegeta-sama, but this is Tabelu we're talking about." 

Vegeta sneered. "Of course. She never can make up her mind. Hmm. Actually, other than training, I haven't got anything planned for tomorrow. I suppose we might as well go try and find your useless brother." 

"We?" Radditz asked, surprised. 

"Yes. Maybe we'll run into some humans. Target practice is always more interesting with live targets." 

"Absolutely," Radditz agreed. 

"And Radditz?" 

"Yes, Vegeta-sama?" 

"Remind me to bump your brother on the head."   


**- Finis Chapter 1 -**   
Please take two seconds from your life to bring a spark of joy into mine - review! :) 


	2. "Who is this other girl? Kakarott finds ...

**Legends of Kakarott**

Authors' Notes:   
A 'kingdom' would be a city and it's surrounding towns. An 'empire' is more than one city with a single ruler, and all the associated towns.   
Ever seen Disney's 'The Jungle Book'? Similar scenery, but a lot less light and a lot more plants. :) 

**Chapter Two: Who is this other girl? Kakarott finds another girl in the jungle.**

Warning: Blood, Violence 

  
There was just no getting around it. Kakarott was lost. Very lost. He scowled at the trees around him and sent a Ki blast through the tree in front of him, clearing a trail. The short Saiyajin trooped dispiritedly on through the wet wilderness. He wondered if there really was a road, or if there had ever been one. The humans had seemed to think so. Kakarott sighed and sensed for Ki, promising himself when he got home he'd train harder to increase his range. 

To his surprise, he picked up a Ki fairly quickly. It didn't feel too strong, and Kakarott decided it was probably another human. A new person, that he could ask directions from without feeling too stupid. 

He sighed and levitated, deciding to fly to it so he could follow a straighter path. When he was about above it, he dropped down through the trees, landing gently on the plant covered ground. He looked around for the Ki signature. He sensed for it. Up to the left. Kakarott looked up, and saw a girl, sitting in a tree. 

She saw that he'd seen her and jumped down, taking a combat stance. 

"Leave me alone, okay?!" She hissed. 

"I just wanted to ask directions," Kakarott said defensively. 

"Huh?" She gaped at him. 

"I'm lost," Kakarott said. 

"You're not one of those bandits?" The girl asked suspiciously. 

"Who?" Kakarott blinked. 

"Those men in the black clothes. They attacked me and my guards!" To Kakarott's surprise the girl's eyes started watering. 

"Um, no, I don't know who you're talking about," Kakarott said, scratching his head. "I'm not really wearing much black though..." 

He looked down at himself. Standard torso armour over a dark brown leather bodysuit. True, his bodysuit wasn't a full one - it cut off above his knees and past his shoulders, but it kept his armour from chafing, and was reasonably comfortable. Good camouflage too. 

The girl sniffled. 

"Why are you crying?" Kakarott asked, confused. 

"Because my guards are dead and I'm still far from home and those mean guys might still be out there and maybe they're trying to kill me, or maybe they will if they find me!" The words streamed out. "Besides, I'm not really crying," She said, wiping her eyes hastily and sniffing once more for good measure. 

"Okay," Kakarott agreed. 

"Who are you?" She asked. 

"I'm Kakarott," He answered simply. 

"Oh. I'm Chichi," She introduced herself. "Hey, are you a Saiyajin?" 

"Yes," Kakarott answered immediately. 

"Wow, can I see your tail?" Chichi asked, looking a tiny bit brighter. 

"Huh?" Kakarott blinked. He unwound his tail from his waist and brought the tip up level with his face. Chichi walked forward, covering the distance between them, then stared intently at the brown furry tail. Kakarott began to feel a bit nervousness. He decided to ignore it. Radditz would laugh if he was scared of a human girl. His moved his tail back to it's customary position. 

"You don't have a tail, do you?" He asked. 

"Nope," Chichi said, rubbing her nose. 

"Oh. Well, can you tell me what direction the Saiyajin Empire is?" Kakarott asked hopefully. 

"Um, I think it's that way," Chichi pointed to her right. "I hope so. I'd need to get back to the main road to be sure." 

"Can you go there with me then?" Kakarott asked. 

"Huh?" Chichi stared at him. 

"The main road," Kakarott prompted. "I'm not very good with directions, so I'd really like to make sure I'm going the right way." 

Chichi's eyes started watering again. "But there are bad men back there!" Her voice dropped to a loud whisper. 

"I can fight them," Kakarott said encouragingly. Chichi looked at him doubtfully. 

"But you're just a child like me," She said. 

"I'm old enough to go on scouting missions!" Kakarott protested. "And I'm the best fighter my age in the whole Saiyajin Empire! Even Vegeta-sama says so." 

"King Vegeta?" Chichi seemed surprised. 

Kakarott shook his head. "No, Prince Vegeta." 

"Oh," She thought about that for a moment. "But I saw six guys, and there might be more. And they're all adults." 

Kakarott sighed. "I can take out adults. It's going to take me ages to get out of this jungle," He complained. 

"That's silly, I know my way around the jungle," Chichi told him. 

"How? It all looks the same," Kakarott pointed out. 

"Not exactly the same," Chichi said quickly. "Well, I don't know it perfectly, but I know if I keep going that way I'll get home," Chichi pointed in a direction slightly over his shoulder. 

"Isn't that the wrong direction for me?" Kakarott asked, confused. 

Chichi shrugged. "If you pick one direction and keep walking eventually you'll get out." 

Chichi looked at the depressed expression on his face. "Oh... I'd like to take you to the main road, but I'm scared of those guys. I can't sense them anywhere." 

"Huh?" Kakarott asked, surprised. 

"You know, sense their Ki," Chichi said impatiently. "My Dad says Saiyajin can do that." 

"Yeah, I can sense Ki," Kakarott said. "I sensed yours." 

"Well, I can sense yours," Chichi scowled, "but I couldn't sense theirs, even when they were close. So I don't know if they're still there, and I don't want to go back." 

Kakarott cocked his head to the side. "If I got to your home, would there be someone there who could help me find my way out of the jungle?" 

"Sure," Chichi said, surprised. "There's lots of people." 

"Well, if I help you get home without running into those guys, can you convince one of them to take me?" Kakarott asked hopefully. 

"Sure!" Chichi answered enthusiastically. 

"Whew," Kakarott sighed, relieved. 

"Let's go before those guys decide to come find me," Chichi said firmly, grabbing one of Kakarott's hands and yanking him around none too gently as she took off in the direction she had decided was home. Kakarott let himself be dragged along, frowning and sensing for Ki before shrugging and turning his attention to Chichi. She had shoulder-length black hair, that was held out of her eyes by a pair of metal things, and matching black eyes. Her clothing was particularly odd, consisting of a leather top and a matching bottom piece, leaving her stomach and legs and arms completely bear, except for ankle boots and wrist bands, again in black leather. She wore a shoulder bag similar to his, over one arm and her head. 

Kakarott pulled his hand free. "I can walk," He told her. 

"Hmph," She frowned briefly. "Well, keep up, okay? I'm going to take a difficult route in case we're being followed, and I'm going to go fast." 

Kakarott heard a footstep behind them. 

"Huh?" He muttered as he spun around. 

A figure dressed entirely in black was charging him. Kakarott jumped aside just in time, deftly whacking his tail into the man's legs, tripping him. Kakarott spun around, ready to take him on... 

And stared as a dagger embedded itself into the black-garbed stranger's head. 

"Come on, there's probably more of them!" Chichi yelped, a second dagger in her hand. The small girl took off, disappearing through the dense plants. Kakarott followed the order, still stunned.   
  


Almost an hour later, they came to the river. 

"Wow," Kakarott murmured, staring at the sluggish brown expanse of water. Sunlight streamed down in merry abandon, giddy at finding someplace to land after being blocked by the canopy for so long. 

"This is Frying Pan River," Chichi informed him. "We call it that because it forms into a big lake near the capital, so from high up it looks like a frying pan. The easiest way to Animal City is to get a boat or raft and sail down the river." 

"A boat?" 

"Yep," Chichi affirmed. "But we don't have one, so we'll have to walk along the bank." 

"Okay," Kakarott said, catching up beside her as they picked their way over water-logged tree roots and odd rocks. "How did so much water get into one place?" 

"Well, this river starts in a lake, one smaller than Frying Pan Lake. It's back in the jungle. When it rains, lots of water gets into the river from the sky, and from the ground, and then it flows much faster," Chichi began.   
Kakarott listened, enjoying her simple explanations of the weird territory. The land back home didn't have many plants, and very few lakes. If it didn't rain during the year, water could become scarce. This place had so much water he could practically taste it in the air. Suddenly he felt his battle instincts flare up, and spun around... only to catch a punch full in the face. Kakarott flew backwards, landing in the river with a splash. Gasping, he thrashed, trying desperately to keep his head above the water. 

Hands grabbed him under his arms, forcing his head up and holding it up. 

"Hold still! Stop trying to move!" Chichi yelled near his ear. Kakarott coughed, sensing Ki to get his barrings. Chichi was behind him, in the water, and their attacker... Kakarott growled. He couldn't sense him! 

Suddenly a ball of energy slammed into the water, barely missing Chichi's arm. The girl yelped, almost letting Kakarott go, but somehow managed to keep a hold. Kakarott looked up. There was the dark figure, framed against the bright sky. A light appeared around the attacker's hand, and a second Ki blast sailed down towards them. 

Kakarott grunted, raising his hand and firing a counter blast. The figure dropped a bit lower, then began firing Ki blasts in earnest. Kakarott pulled his other hand out of the water as he fought to counter them all, finally just erecting a Ki shield as the blasts became too numerous for his skills to parry. 

"Quick, get up!" Chichi hissed at him. 

"Huh?" Kakarott used the lull in fire to concentrate on her. He suddenly realized there was ground under his feet. 

"Climb out of the water! You can't swim!" Chichi ordered, already standing nimbly on a half-submerged root. She offered him a hand, but he levitated up and hovered beside her. 

"Why didn't you fly before?" She said, suddenly angry. 

"I was too busy trying to breathe," Kakarott said, then grabbed her and flew forwards as Ki blasts began raining down on them again. Kakarott landed behind a tree. The Ki storm stopped, and he poked his head around to see what was happening. Chichi followed suit, and gasped. 

"Oh no! Three of them," She sounded like she was about to cry. 

Kakarott scowled. "Do you have any more knives?" 

"Uh huh," Chichi nodded, teary-eyed. 

"Well, get them ready. We can take these guys. Remember, I'm the strongest fighter for my age in the whole Saiyajin Empire, okay?" Kakarott clenched his fists. 

Chichi sniffed, then rubbed her eyes. "Okay." 

Kakarott glanced back at their enemies. "I'll take those two over there that just landed. Can you take the third guy?" 

"Yes, my Father trained me to fight," Chichi said, raising her chin. She pulled a knife from her boot. "I should've gotten my other knife back," She said, frowning. 

"Ready?" Kakarott asked, curling his tail tightly around his waist. She nodded. 

"Go!" Kakarott wasted no time. He launched himself up and flew at one of his targets, building up a Ki blast in his left hand as he swung a punch with his right. It connected solidly, and Kakarott spun, releasing the Ki blast at the other guy. 

As soon as he left, Chichi effortlessly vaulted herself up into the tree they were behind, and scrambled quietly into a position where she could see all of the fight. She picked out the one Kakarott told her to take, and took aim with her knife. As Kakarott sent off his Ki blast the guy turned to watch, and Chichi let fly, nodding with satisfaction as it sunk to the hilt into the guy's chest. He dropped from the sky like a stone into the river, where a red patch of water began to spread. 

"Damn! My other knife!" Chichi clenched her fists, then jumped down as one of the remaining attackers launched a Ki blast at her. 

Kakarott was too busy exchanging blows to hear her. Finally one of his kick's connected, sending his opponent sprawling into a tree. He glanced over to see Chichi barely dodge a tackle, and growled as he formed a Ki blast around one fist. He fired it, then turned back to his own adversary. 

The man staggered up. "Traitor," he coughed. 

Kakarott ignored him, caught up in the fight. A slight smirk appeared on his face as he decided his next attack. He held both hands up, and a glow formed over them. Quickly, before his enemy could move, a swarm of energy blasts raced towards him. The black-clad fighter barely had time to bring up his arms before blast after blast slammed into him and obscured him from sight. Kakarott kept it up for a few more moments, then stopped, panting slightly and waiting for the dust and debris to settle. 

As Chichi's opponent turned to counter Kakarott's Ki blast, the slight girl took the opportunity to put her father's training into practice. Gritting her teeth, she ran towards her foe, jumping up with a yell as she got close, and slamming a foot into his stomach as he spun back towards her. He doubled over, and Chichi smiled in exhilarated relief. Then she narrowed her eyes, determined not to let him recover, and punched him in the face. She followed it up with a kick that snapped his head back, then spun herself around, sending her heel into the side of his head. He fell over, not moving. 

Chichi turned to see how Kakarott was faring, and yelped as she practically bumped into him. 

"You can kinda fight," He grinned at her, looking impressed. "Can you use Ki?" 

"Not really," Chichi admitted, "I can start a fire if I concentrate, but I've never really gotten the hang of it." 

Kakarott started to say something, then gasped in surprise, turning towards the river. Chichi followed his gaze to see something thrashing about in the water. 

"What are **those**?!" Kakarott exclaimed. 

"Oh, those are crocodiles. They live in the river, and they can taste when there's blood in the water," Chichi said, happily explaining her homeland. "We probably better not walk too close to the river for a..." She cut off suddenly as Kakarott slammed into her, knocking her down. Before she could do more than blink, he was standing with a mean look on his face. 

"Eeeeeeeyaaaaaa!!" He screamed, a Ki blast flaring to life amongst his fingers, then shooting off faster than her eyes could follow. Chichi sat up as Kakarott ran forward, and Chichi saw another black-clad figure. She stood as she watched Kakarott reach the guy, and begin exchanging punches and kicks so fast she had to concentrate to see. After a brief moment, Kakarott got a punch through, nailing the guy in the jaw and sending him crashing back to the ground. The Saiyajin boy then created a Ki blast, and shot his opponent point-blank. Chichi looked around, and realized that their latest attacker had been the guy she fought earlier. She felt a surge of annoyance at herself. 

Kakarott came back over, looking at the river as he walked. The crocodiles were no longer churning the river. Instead some were floating, and others were gliding to the shore, apparently searching for more. 

"Are those edible?" Kakarott asked, eyeing the huge lizards. 

"Yeah," Chichi said, "Hey, you're not hurt at all, are you?" 

"Nope," Kakarott proudly shook his head. 

"You really are the greatest fighter," Chichi gushed, "I've never seen anybody fight so many people and not get hurt. Not even my Dad, and he's the best fighter I know!" 

Kakarott scratched the back of his head, but he was grinning at her. "I train a lot," He said, shrugging. 

"You saved my life," Chichi said, serious. "Thank you." 

Kakarott stared at her, mouth ajar, wondering what to say. Chichi giggled. "You look like a fish," She smiled. 

Kakarott smiled back. "Speaking of fish, I'm kinda hungry..." 

"Hmm," Chichi frowned. "Fish is out of it with all those crocodiles around..." 

"You said they were edible, right?" Kakarott asked hopefully. 

"Yeah," Chichi brightened. "If you kill them, I'll cook them!" 

"Okay!" Kakarott agreed, and bounded happily towards the reptiles.   
  


They were still sitting beside the small cooking fire later, after the sun had set. Kakarott finished the last of the crocodile and lay back. 

"I've never seen anyone eat so much," Chichi said, shaking her head. 

"It tasted really, really good," He said, putting his hands behind his head as he turned to look at her. The tip of his tail twitched once from it's customary place curled around his armour. 

"Thank you," Chichi blushed, turning to gaze at the fire. For a while the sounds of the jungle around them took over - the gentle lap of the river against it's banks, the rustle of leaves as the nightlife scurried around, and the crackle of the fire as it struggled to burn slightly damp wood on the flat rock Chichi had found earlier. 

"You know, you're the first guy who's ever really fought for me," Chichi said softly, not moving her eyes. "Father says I'm a bit too young to have suitors or anything, but I've always wanted a knight. Princess Bulma used to have a knight when **she** was twelve. She always has guys around ready to fight or do anything she wants them to do. She came to visit once and she kept bragging about how her knight was the best fighter she'd ever seen. I asked Captain Yama to be my knight, but he said I didn't need one. Then he told Father, who came and gave me this dumb talk about how I could fight my own battles and I was too young to worry about that sort of thing." 

Chichi clenched her fists. "I **know** I can fight, but that's not the same thing, and he thinks I'm too young for **everything**! Even girls who aren't princesses have guys that promise to be their knights. It's not fair!" 

"What's a knight?" Kakarott asked. 

"Oh, it's just a word for a guy who promised to fight for someone. Like Bulma's knight, whatever-his-name-was. He promised to fight for her, I dunno, if she made an enemy or something, and so Bulma called him 'her knight'," Chichi said, frowning. 

"Oh," Kakarott said. He sat up. "I'll be your knight, if you want." 

"Huh?" Chichi's head snapped up and she stared at him. 

"I like fighting with you," Kakarott explained. 

"You... you'd be my knight? Really?" Chichi gushed, her hands flying to her cheeks. 

"Sure," Kakarott confirmed. 

Chichi shrieked and jumped to her feet. Kakarott tensed up, also jumping to his feet, looking around quickly to see if they were under attack again. Suddenly he found Chichi had her arms around him, squeezing, but not tightly enough to really be an attack. 

"Thank you!" She sobbed in his ear. She let him go suddenly, and clasped her hands in front of her. "Wow! I have the best knight in the world!" 

"Uh, yeah," Kakarott said, scratching his head. 

"I'm so lucky! Thank you, Kakarott," She smiled at him, practically jumping up and down in excitement and joy. Kakarott found himself smiling back. 

"You know, that's really special to me," Chichi said as she calmed down. She sniffled, but her eyes didn't water. 

Kakarott nodded, knowing he was missing something, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. 

Chichi stepped back, looking him up and down with an appraising look on her face. She smiled. "You're kinda cute too." 

"Huh?" Kakarott stared at her. She blushed, and giggled. 

"You know," She said, putting her hands behind her back and turning to look at the fire, "sometimes knights marry the girls they promised to protect." 

"Marry?" 

"Mm hm," Chichi nodded. She looked back at Kakarott. "If I was grown up enough, would **you** marry me, Kakarott?" 

"...," Kakarott scratched his head, "..uh..." 

Chichi's shoulders sank as she quickly turned back towards the fire. She sighed, and sniffed slightly. 

"I guess so," Kakarott said, shrugging. 

"Really?" Chichi sniffed, turning back shyly. 

Kakarott nodded solemnly, wondering why she seemed ready to start crying again. 

Chichi smiled. "Do you think I'm pretty, then?" 

Kakarott blinked, and cocked his head to the side, looking at her. 'She looks a bit like a Saiyajin, but her hair's not quite right, and her eyes are wider. She looks... neat. Tidy. Like a perfectly performed kick, with the balance all just right.' 

"Yes," the boy answered honestly. 

"Will you promise?" 

"Promise what?" 

"To marry me." 

"Okay," Kakarott agreed, glad she seemed happier. He liked it when she smiled. "What's 'ma...'" 

Kakarott got no further as a voice cut through his question. 

"Ahoy the fire!!" 

Chichi frowned. Kakarott tensed, dropping into a defensive stance. 

"Hello?" Chichi yelled back. 

"Can you help me here?" The voice replied. 

"Where are you?" Chichi called. 

"The river! I can't land because of these big... lizards! I've got my own dinner, but I'd like to be able to cook it!" 

"Okay!" Chichi called back. Then she lowered her voice to normal volume. "Come on, Kakarott!" She said, and took off for the river. Kakarott caught up with her easily, then passed her. He reached the bank, and could see a dark shape on the river in the bluish moonlight. The moon hung high in the sky, full and blue. Kakarott regarded it for a moment, remembering how much Vegeta hated that second, large moon that couldn't transform a Saiyajin. Not like the white one, but it was only full once a year. 

Chichi was scanning the water. She held up a hand and concentrated. A small glowing ball appeared, brightening slowly. 

"Hey!" The voice from the boat sounded startled. "You use Ki?" 

"She can't talk, cause she's concentrating!" Kakarott called helpfully. He levitated himself up and hovered out to the boat. 

"Yikes!" The voice cried. "You've got a strong Ki... hey, I wouldn't go into the water if I were you..." 

"I'm not in the water," Kakarott answered, reaching the boat. A human boy, probably not much older than himself, regarded him, surprise pasted onto his features. Kakarott stared back. The boy had no hair! And no nose. 

Abruptly the human remembered himself. "Uh, hi, I guess. I'm Kuririn." 

"I'm Kakarott." 

Kuririn peered closer at the messily haired boy in front of him. "A Saiyajin?!" His eyes widened. 

Kakarott nodded. 

The light snapped off. "Hey!" Chichi yelled from the shore. "Are you guys going to come over here or not? And don't forget the boat!" 

Kuririn concentrated, a ball of Ki forming in his hand. He looked over the water, and pointed at a floating log. "Damn those things. They're full of teeth." 

"That's a log," Kakarott pointed out. 

"You think so, huh?" Kuririn raised an eyebrow. "If you can fly, you can shoot Ki blasts, right?" 

"Of course," Kakarott said, sounding insulted. 

"Then shoot it," Kuririn suggested. 

Kakarott raised a hand and sent a Ki blast at the log. It reared back in the water, churning the dark river, and disappeared underneath the surface. 

"Oh, it's one of those crocodiles," Kakarott said. "Wow, it hides well like that." 

"Yeah," Kuririn said. "One of those almost bit my leg off. See why I don't want to get out of the boat while they're around? I know I can shoot 'em off, but I can't see them coming." 

Kakarott grinned at him, and lowered himself down. He sank a bit into the water, and let back his head, screaming as he summoned an aura of power around himself to scare off any crocodiles. Then he grabbed the front of the boat and began 'flying' towards the shore, pulling the boat with him. 

"Wow!" Kuririn said, impressed. As soon as they were close enough that Kakarott could stand without levitating, Kuririn jumped out, extinguishing his Ki light and grabbing the other side of the boat. Together they dragged it up, making sure it was caught securely between some tree roots so it couldn't drift off. 

Chichi was standing there when they turned back. 

"Hello," She said, "I'm Chichi." 

"I'm Kuririn," The human boy answered her politely. Then he turned and jumped into the boat nimbly and rummaged around until he found a sack. He jumped back, and smiled. "You want to share?" He offered. 

Chichi authoritatively took the sack, and inspected it's contents. "Well, I'm full, but I'll cook it for you, if you want." 

"Really?" Kuririn asked. "Are you a good cook?" 

"I'm an excellent cook," Chichi assured him. 

"Yeah, she is," Kakarott confirmed as the three of them began walking back to Chichi's fire.   
  


Chichi had borrowed a knife from Kuririn the next morning and cut off a fairly straight branch. She was now standing at the back of Kuririn's small boat, steering and poling them along when she could. Kakarott found Kuririn to be a very interesting human. Kuririn had explained to them last night, as he and Kakarott ate, that he was on his way through the Animal Kingdom, searching for a famous fighter called 'Kamesennin'. Kakarott knew of the man - he was one of the few human warriors the Saiyajin regarded with any respect. That he was at least three hundred years old and still more than a match for most Saiyajin warriors only helped, and Kakarott was intrigued that Kuririn was planning to ask such a famous warrior to train him. 

Kuririn had assured him that Kamesennin did indeed train people - people who had enough skill or potential. Kuririn had been training since he was young to fight, and had surpassed all of his age-group, and even most of the adult warriors of his city. So he was going to see if Kamesennin would take him on as a pupil. 

Now, as the morning sun beat down on the three young people, Kakarott and Kuririn were animatedly exchanging stories of sparring matches and Ki techniques. Chichi had yelled at them earlier when they tried to actually perform those techniques while on the boat, so now they settled for descriptions. 

"And then I thought, 'What if my Ki was sharp like a sword?' Unfortunately he took the opportunity to punch me, and I lost the match. Later on I went out, and started trying to make a Ki sword. Never did quite get a sword, but after several months I came up with this really, really cool Ki blast. It's flat, but it's round, and the edges are really sharp! Sharper than any sword I've ever seen! It cuts right through rocks!" Kuririn was proudly re-telling how he created his favourite and trademark Ki attack. 

"Does it go through metal too? And armour?" Kakarott asked. 

"Of course it goes through armour," Kuririn said proudly. "I'm not sure about metal though. I've never had a really big bit of metal that I needed to cut. It takes a while to get it right, though. I can flatten my Ki blasts, but the edge always needs a minute or so of concentration. It's a real shame... and no one I showed it to could get it right." 

Kakarott glanced at Chichi and then quickly back at Kuririn. The boy grinned at him, and leaned forward, lowering his voice. "I'll show you later, when we land, okay?" 

Kakarott grinned. "Can't wait," He said. 

"You know, you're the first Saiyajin I've met who's ever said more to me than 'Die, Human!'" Kuririn said, leaning back a bit. "How come you're so friendly?" 

Kakarott blinked, then shrugged. "I dunno. I guess there's not really much point trying to kill anyone. I was on a scouting mission, in the jungle, and I... I got lost," Kakarott admitted with a sigh. 

"Oh," Kuririn said, warily. "Well, don't worry, everyone gets lost sometime. How come you're traveling with Chichi, then? The Saiyajin Empire is the other way." 

Kakarott gritted his teeth. It was one thing to admit he had gotten lost, but to tell another warrior that he had no sense of direction... 

Kuririn studied his new acquaintance, noticing his darkening expression. "Hey, it's none of my business," He offered, waving away his curiosity. 

"I was hoping to find a guide," Kakarott said, slowly. "Chichi was worried about getting attacked by those guys I told you about, so I told her I'd travel with her to her home. She says someone there can... show me back to a proper road or something." 

"Oh," Kuririn nodded. "Well, I can show you out of the jungle, but it'll be the wrong side. Kamesennin is supposed to live on this little island, so I'd be going towards the sea, and then trying to find another boat." 

"You can't fly?" Kakarott asked, an innocently curious expression on his face. 

"Not yet," Kuririn said defensively. 

"I wonder what it would be like, being trained by a single warrior," Kakarott mused. 

Kuririn smiled slightly. "Shame you can't come with me." 

"Huh?" Kakarott gaped at him. 

"Well, if half your stories are true, you're a pretty good fighter," Kuririn said. 

"He's a very good fighter," Chichi interrupted, causing both boys to jump slightly at the unexpected interruption. 

"Yeah, well, like I said: Kamesennin trains people who come to him who have lots of potential," Kuririn said, relaxing again. "I wonder if he'd agree to train a Saiyajin..." 

Kakarott brightened, then his shoulders slumped almost comically as his face took on a depressed expression. He opened his mouth, then brightened and straightened back up. "Yeah, if I don't show up in a few more days, everyone'll probably think I'm dead." 

"That's good?" Kuririn asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Well, maybe," Kakarott said. "If I come back with improved fighting ability nobody'll mind. But... I'm kinda late back as it is. It's just... Radditz is going to tease me about this for **years**. So if I go back, I think I'd prefer to have trained with a famous warrior than just drag myself back in. Even just a new technique or something." 

Kuririn suddenly felt a bit sorry for Kakarott. He reached out without thinking and put a hand on Kakarott's shoulder. "Hey, I tell you what. If Kamesennin won't train you, I'll teach you my Kienzan technique, okay?" 

Kakarott removed his gaze from Kuririn's hand - prolonged contact was something most Saiyajin did not do - and stared at the Human. "Really?" He found himself asking, unconsciously copying one of their favourite questions. 

"I promise," Kuririn said, removing his hand. Kakarott let himself relax, and grinned happily across the boat at him. 

"Look!" Chichi called, pointing ahead. "There's Frying Pan Lake! We're almost at Animal City!" 

"Cool!" Kuririn said. 

Chichi began to tell them about the city, and how wonderful it was. A little while later the river emptied them into a lake, and Chichi used her pole to skirt the edges of the lake until they reached several long wooden platforms - Chichi called them 'piers' - that stretched out into the water. Chichi brought the boat up to one of them, and yelled at a nearby man to throw her a rope. He did so, tying one end to one of the pier's poles first. Chichi caught the rope and tied it to the boat. Kuririn stood carefully and addressed her. 

"Chichi, does this lake go to the sea?" 

"Yes," Chichi nodded, "but the river between here and the sea is full of rocks and sandbars, not to mention the occasional shark and the crocodiles. Nobody really uses it." 

"Oh, well, Kakarott and I will just walk. You can keep the boat," Kuririn said, shrugging. 

"Thank you," Chichi smiled, laying the pole in the boat. "I'll give it to someone who needs it." She stepped carefully to the pier, the put her hands up on it and began to pull herself up. Kakarott levitated over to her and put his arms around her, lifting her up and landing on the wood. He let her go and turned back towards Kuririn. 

"Thank you!" Chichi smiled brightly at him. Kakarott smiled back, before leaning down and offering a hand to the other Human. Kuririn raised his eyebrows in surprise, then smiled, taking Kakarott's hand and bracing himself as the Saiyajin pulled him up. 

"You're handy to have around, Kakarott," He said with a grin. 

"You think so?" Kakarott asked, looking surprised. 

"Oh, yeah!" Kuririn chuckled. 

"Come on! You want to come meet my father?" Chichi took one of Kakarott's hands and began tugging on it. 

"Actually, I was hoping to leave straight away," Kuririn said apologetically. "I don't really like the jungle, and the sooner I get through it, the better." 

Chichi frowned and made a disapproving noise. 

"Sorry, Chichi," Kuririn said. 

Chichi sighed, looking slightly miserable. "It's okay, Daddy would probably be busy anyway. Will you come back and visit me?" She asked, looking at Kakarott. 

"Um..," Kakarott mumbled. 

"Sure!" Kuririn said, whole-heartedly. "I'm sure I'll pass back this way, and Kakarott'll have to to get home." 

"Okay, then, I guess," Chichi said. She pulled her bag off it's customary shoulder, and reached into it, rummaging around. "Hey, Kakarott, these are for you," She said, blushing slightly after a moment. She held out a round stone tied onto a leather necklace, and a small, gold ring with a funny symbol on it. 

Kakarott took them, and began to look them over. 

"The ring will help you find me," She said, in her explaining tone. "When you come back, just show that to people and ask them to take you to me. That stone is magical. You see the red mark? Well, it moves, and so it's always pointing the same direction." 

She took it from him and held it so both boys could see, then moved it around. "No matter what direction you're looking at, it's always pointing to the same direction it's always points to, so you can use it to find your way without getting lost." 

"Thank you," Kakarott said, smiling as he took it back and moved it around a few times. Then he put it on, shaking his head a few times to help it over his hair. He slipped the ring onto the small finger of his right hand. 

"You're welcome," Chichi smiled. She gave him a quick hug. "Good luck! Bye!" She said, and then turned and ran off.   


**- Finis Chapter 2 -**   
Please take two seconds from your life to bring a spark of joy into mine: review! :) 


	3. "Got the sixth Dragonball! The Saiyajin ...

**Legends of Kakarott**

**Chapter Three: Got the sixth Dragonball! The Saiyajin are looking for Kakarott.**

Warning: Mild language, Violence 

  
Yumcha tossed the dragonball up in the air and caught it easily with the same hand. "And this," he said, grinning at Bra and Ranchi, "makes six." 

"Yep!" Bra declared. "Hand it over." 

"Aw, I got it, lemme play with it," Yumcha's grin widened as she scowled at him. 

"What **were** those creatures?" Ranchi asked, carefully bumping the dead body of a short blue humanoid with her foot. 

"Gnomes, I think," Bra shrugged. "I didn't think they really existed. Good thing they do, I didn't really want to go up north after the next one. It was so nice of them to... bring it down for me!" 

"Well, if they come back, they won't exist for long," Yumcha concluded. "They were so pathetic." 

"Ah-choo! I'll say. Even Bra could take them out," Kashumi cracked her knuckles. "Hey, Yumcha, do you sense something?" 

"Huh?" Yumcha looked at his blond sister. "Sense what?" 

Kashumi frowned. "I dunno, I just got the feeling that something strong is heading our way. Let's hide." 

The blond woman took her own advice, quickly scampering up one of the nearest trees. The closely packed trees had been the only reason the Gnomes had had any advantage. It had been a surprise to see, after picking up the fourth dragonball at a small island off the coast, that another of the dragonballs was moving - through the forest-not-yet-jungle areas between the Animal Kingdom and the desert. 

"Kashumi..," Yumcha began. 

"Shut up!" Kashumi hissed. 

Bra and Yumcha looked at each other and shrugged. Suddenly Yumcha's eyes widened. "There **is** a strong Ki signature near! Damn! It's closer!" Yumcha spun around, staring upwards. "I wish I could sense Ki unconsciously like Kash can." 

"What are you talking about? You can sense people coming?" Bra asked, also turning to look upwards. 

"Uh..," Yumcha answered, then he stiffened. "Hide!" He yelled, grabbing Bra and unceremoniously shoving her into a bush. 

"What?!" Bra squawked. 

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A male voice called. Bra scuttled backwards before rolling over and looking around for the source of the voice. Yumcha was staring upwards again, but Bra's view was blocked by branches. 

"A human. Must be a warrior, to make a Ki large enough to attract our attention," A second voice replied. Bra frowned. There was something about that voice... 

"Hey, what do you want?" Yumcha yelled up to the voices. 

"Radditz here is looking for his brother. I'm just along for the target practice," The second voice left no doubt that it's owner was sneering. 

'Radditz?' An alarm went off in Bra's head. 'That was one of the people Kakarott mentioned. I wonder...' 

"Well, I'm not his brother. If you'll excuse me, I have..," Yumcha began. 

"**That's **obvious," The same voice continued, "but I think you'll make good target practice." 

"...goodie," Yumcha muttered. 

Suddenly two shapes dropped from the sky, humanoid, landing easily on their feet. 

"Kuso!" Bra swore, then realized she'd spoken aloud. 

"What was that?" The two strangers turned to peer in her direction. 

"Hey, who the hell are you, anyway?" Yumcha demanded, trying to draw their attention back to himself. It was, of course, pretty obvious who they were. Dark leather close-fitting clothes, with those strangely flexible bands of armour worn around their torsos, over which furry tails were wound - Saiyajin. 

"Heh," The shorter one turned back to Yumcha, sneering. "I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Prince Vegeta. I do trust you've heard of me." 

"Uh... Well, I'd have been living under a rock if I hadn't..," Yumcha babbled, taking a step back. 

"That's right," Vegeta confirmed smugly. "This," he indicated his tall companion, "is Radditz. Who's your friend in the bushes?" 

"Who?" Yumcha asked, feigning innocence. 

"Radditz," Vegeta said calmly. 

Radditz nodded, and began walking towards the bushes. 

"Shimatta," Bra scowled, and stood up, brushing the leaves and dirt off her clothes. "I do** not** need your help to stand," She informed Radditz, who had stopped. 

"Bra!" Yumcha shook his head, then sighed. 

"A girl?" Radditz scoffed. 

"Don't tell me we were **interrupting** anything," Vegeta said, suggestiveness dripping from his words as he eyed Bra up and down. 

"You wish," Bra snorted. 

"Ah, not really," Yumcha blurted at the same time. 

Radditz started to snicker softly. Bra shot him a dirty look. 

"Oh well, two targets are twice the fun," Vegeta shrugged nonchalantly. "Even if one has the same Ki level as a lizard." 

"Hey!" Bra scowled. She put a hand on her hip. Right beside one of her pouches, Yumcha noticed. Instead, he focused and began to draw power up for the coming fight. 

Vegeta smirked. "At least today won't be a total waste." He frowned. "What's that?" He asked, nodded towards Yumcha's left hand. Yumcha followed his gaze. The dragonball. 

"That's mine!" Bra yelled. Both Saiyajin snapped to watch her at the noise. "It's, uh, my crystal ball. I'm a fortune teller," She offered, a bit quieter. 

"A what?" Radditz asked. 

"A fortune teller!" Bra repeated. "I tell people their fortunes. You know, what'll happen in the near future, what sort of things to watch out for, where you'll meet your next boyfriend..," She glanced at their faces to see their reactions. 

"Can you guess what's going to happen in **your** near future?" Vegeta smirked at her. 

"Let me see," She said, half-running over to Yumcha and snatching the ball from him. She held it carefully in her hand, peering deep into it. 

She looked up. "You know, this usually works a bit better when there's some gold really close to the ball." 

Yumcha made a strangled sound. 

"..." The Saiyajin stared at her. 

"Well it **does**!" Bra scowled. 

Radditz walked over, frowning as Bra scooted back a few steps. "Give that here," He ordered. 

"No," Bra said, putting it behind her back. A second later she screamed as she flew backwards after an energy blast ripped through the ground under her feet. 

"Hey!" Yumcha yelled, glaring furiously at Vegeta. The Saiyajin smirked at him. 

Radditz picked up the ball, which had flown from Bra's hand. He turned it around several times, then tossed it to Vegeta, who caught it easily. 

The Saiyajin Prince looked it over, then glanced back at Radditz. "So?" 

"You ever hear that story about the legendary dragonballs?" Radditz asked, ignoring Bra's angry hiss as she scrambled to her feet. 

Vegeta stared at the orange sphere again, with more intensity. "I seem to remember something about them. You think this is one?" He asked his insubordinate. 

Radditz shrugged. "It looks like the descriptions, about the size of a fist, orange, has red stars in it..." 

"Don't be silly! Those things don't exist!" Bra yelled. "I just had it made like that as a marketing ploy! Why use an ordinary crystal ball when I can claim it's a dragonball?!" 

Vegeta frowned at her. Bra ignored him, and focused on straightening her clothes with an almost tangible air of arrogance. The Saiyajin Prince regarded the ball in his hands, turning it around a few times, then started to crush it.   
Or tried to. 

"What's this thing supposed to be made of?" He asked, tossing it up and down to weigh it. 

"Uh, some... magical stuff," Bra stuttered. 

"Oh, **really**?" Vegeta sneered. 

"Yeah!" Bra said, putting her hands on her hips in an attempt to bolster her courage. Vegeta's sneer transformed into a smirk as he made a flicking motion with his free hand. A Ki blast smashed into the ground at Bra's feet, knocking her onto her backside with a small shriek. She sat there for a moment, then decided she felt indignant and wronged, and jumped back up, glaring. 

"You jerk! How dare you treat me like that!" Bra screeched. 

"Um, Bra?" Yumcha said urgently. 

"Huh?" Bra looked at him, blinked, then laughed nervously. "I guess... oh, never mind," She said, turning back to Vegeta, and favouring him with a somewhat nervous smile. 

Vegeta glared at her. "You rude wench!" 

Yumcha cringed as he watched Bra react. She straightened slowly, fury positively radiating from her, and snarled wordlessly as she tried to kill the Saiyajin with her glare. She made a strangled sound in the back of her throat. 

"Can you please just kill her, Vegeta-sama?" Radditz said, sounding bored with the whole affair. 

"Hmph," Vegeta shrugged, then flicked a Ki blast at her. Yumcha stared in horror as it smashed into Bra sending her flying backwards. She didn't move. 

He barely had time to react as a second blast shot past him, missing by a hair's breadth. The bandit wasted no time, dodging around a tree, then sprinting off into the forest. He could hear laughter behind him and glanced back, carefully dodging two more blasts. His mind whirled as he considered his options. Vegeta was too close behind him to try hiding, so running and dodging it was, at least until something better came up. 

Unfortunately, his moment of thought slowed him down slightly, and one of the Ki blasts grazed his leg, obliterating cloth, burning the skin, and most importantly, altering his balance. Before Yumcha could regain enough awareness to dodge again, three more Ki blasts slammed into him, catching him in the legs and back, and sending him sprawling face first into the dirt. 

Yumcha threw himself to the side desperately, and continued rolling, twice, three times, then onto his feet and he stood for a moment, pushing the pain from his mind as he stared at the short figure hovering in the air near him.   
Growling, Yumcha gathered his own energy and visualized a huge wolf, raking it's claws towards Vegeta's throat, and watched at the same time as the dark illusion from his mind sprang to life, leaping at the Saiyajin. Vegeta was surprised enough to fly backwards a foot or so, then he narrowed his eyes and raised his empty hand, sending blast after blast at the shadow creature. 

Yumcha used the opportunity to slip around behind a tree behind the Prince, and he quickly gathered as much power as he could muster, then sent it all in a large blast. Vegeta heard the displacement of air in time to turn and catch the Ki blast full in the chest. He fell backwards, through the disappearing wolf and hit the ground. Yumcha quickly gathered his power again, sending off a second blast at him, but Vegeta jumped up and back into the air, easily avoiding it. 

He grinned down at Yumcha, then chuckled. "What luck, one that can shoot back!" 

Radditz flew into view near Vegeta, then landed and leant himself against a tree, scowling quietly as Vegeta continued. 

"Come on, then, Human! Let's see how strong you are!" 

Yumcha dove to the side as Vegeta streaked through the air. Righting himself, the bandit found himself desperately blocking blow after blow as he was forced backwards. Suddenly his back hit something solid - a tree. Unfortunately, the moment it took to figure out what it was gave the Saiyajin enough time to land a punch through Yumcha's defenses, and then another until it was only the tree holding Yumcha up in place. 

Through a haze of pain, the Human was aware of laughter, then someone yelling, then his world went black.   
  


Radditz straightened as Vegeta powered up to finish off his opponent. It was about time, really. Radditz scowled slightly, wondering why Vegeta had bothered to come. Knowing the Prince, he'd get bored soon and demand that they head home. Radditz probably wouldn't even get a proper look around for Kakarott. Not that he was particularly heart-broken. He was sure Kakarott could, if given enough time, make his own way home. It would, though, reflect badly on his family. Kakarott may be an incredibly good fighter, but his sense of direction had left along with most of his sense after that fateful fall Kakarott had taken down a ravine when he was four. He'd completely forgotten everything, and it had taken a couple of years for him to re-learn the basics of Saiyajin life. He still seemed like an outsider at times... most times. 

"Wait!" A high-pitched female voice screamed from nearby. Radditz whirled to see that noisy black-haired girl from before. 

'Didn't Vegeta kill her?' Part of his mind demanded. Radditz frowned, remembering a distinct lack of blood and holes, but chalked it up to Vegeta's usual manner of playing with his victims. 

"You wanna die first?" Vegeta asked, sneering as he aimed the half formed Ki blast at her. 

She didn't even flinch. "If you don't kill him, I'll help you find your friend, Kakarott!" She called, planting her hands on her hips. 

"Eh?" Vegeta blinked, surprise registering on his face for a moment, before he remembered himself and frowned. "What makes you think we're looking for someone?" He demanded. 

"Well, I just thought since Kakarott mentioned some guy named 'Radditz' that you might at least **know** each other, right?" She turned to Radditz seeking confirmation for her theory. 

Radditz flicked a glance at Vegeta. The Human he'd been about to kill had passed out, and was now lying at the base of the tree, and the Prince had dispersed his Ki blast, and began to fold his arms over his chest, then remembered he was holding the orange ball. He settled for glaring at the girl instead. Vegeta nodded once to Radditz. 

"Yeah, I know him," Radditz said in a bored tone. 

"Hm, well, do you want to know where he is?" Bra said, crossing her own arms and fixing Radditz with a compelling glare. 

"Sure," Radditz shrugged. 

"Then, if you promise you won't kill any of us, I'll scry him out for you," Bra offered with a toss of her head. 

"So you don't know where he is," Vegeta sneered. 

"**Last** I saw him, he was headed down the main trade road. Of course, that **was **two days ago," Bra said snobbishly. "Scrying him would get you much more up-to-date directions." 

"You're some sort of magician, huh?" Radditz asked. 

Bra turned to him, furious, and screamed, "SORCERESS! I'm a SORCERESS! Not a **magician**!" She spat the last word like it was some kind of insult. 

"Heh. Sure you are," Vegeta snickered. 

She made a growling noise in the back of her throat. "Listen, you! My magic is the best you'll ever see, especially since Saiyajin magic users never make it past Enchanter level! You should be thrilled that someone with so much talent is offering to do a scrying spell to help you find your odd friend!" 

"You are **much** too rude, Human," Vegeta growled at her. He glared a moment longer, then smirked. "Okay, prove that your a sorceress. Do the spell." 

"Blood oath first," Bra demanded promptly. 

"Blood oath?!" Vegeta yelled. "No way! You think I actually give a damn about Kakarott?" 

"Then why are you out looking for him?" Bra screamed back. 

"**Radditz** is out looking for him! **I'm** only here for **target practice**!" 

"Oh yes, the all so might Prince of the Saiyajin needs Humans for target practice! What's the matter, your mmmphmmp..," Bra's tirade cut off as a second girl jumped out from behind a tree and quite firmly clapped a hand over her mouth. The new girl had dark blue hair, and a worried expression. 

"Excuse me," She said politely, dropping into as much of a curtsey as she could without compromising her grip on Bra, "but if you would just give your word not to harm us, she'll do the spell." 

Ranchi ignored the sulky look Bra threw in her direction, watching the Saiyajin while keeping her face angled down demurely. 

"Hmph," The Saiyajin glared at her. 

"Uh, Vegeta-sama?" Radditz mumbled, just loud enough for him to be sure Vegeta heard him. 

His Prince curled his lip in distaste. "Very well, Radditz, but you'd better hope your moronic brother is still in good enough condition for a fight, or you'll be fighting in his place." 

'And getting beaten up in his place,' Radditz finished the threat in his mind. 

"Okay, **Human**, you and your weak **friends** will live," Vegeta scowled at Radditz, who kept his face blank. 

"Thank you, Vegeta-Ouji," Ranchi said, letting Bra go. The other girl merely sniffed and reached into one of the tiny, empty looking pouches hanging from her belt. She pulled out a large but thin piece of metal backed glass, the pouch widening momentarily to accommodate it's exit, and placed it on the ground. She reached into a second pouch and appeared to feel around for a moment before pulling out a metal bowl. She placed the bowl by the mirror, then pulled out a metal box that had two thin metal wires extending from it. She knelt, placed the box between the other two objects, then placed one wire on top of the mirror, and sat the bowl on the other one. 

"Your pouches are magic?" Radditz asked, looking surprised. 

"Of course," Bra sniffed. 

Bra tapped the box a few times and began muttering something under her breath. Ranchi peered down at the mirror curiously as Vegeta strode over, glaring down at Bra and her things with evident dislike. Radditz came over as well, keeping on the same side of the mirror as Vegeta. 

"What the hell are you doing? How is that a scrying spell?" Vegeta demanded. 

Bra stopped, looking cross. "I suppose you expect me to fill the bowl with water and demand some of Kakarott's hair, then chant for several hours till I'm blue in the face? Forget it. Kakarott touched the bowl, so that's my link to him, and my mirror makes a better image than any amount of water could." 

"What's that thing, then?" Ranchi asked, pointing to the box in the middle. 

"That's one of my spell aides. Any good sorceress has tons," Bra snapped, then began to mumble odd sounding sentences under her breath. "Execute," she said at last, with an air of being finished. 

Abruptly the view of the sky in the mirror altered. Ranchi saw, rather clearly, Kakarott and a Human boy, both sitting on the ground, apparently speaking. Vegeta made a displeased sound. Bra muttered something else in that strange language. Ranchi could almost make sense of what she said, but somehow the meaning stayed firmly on the edge of her mind, refusing to come any closer - except for a 'shimatta Saiyajin' which Bra had snuck in for good measure. The image wavered and flipped over so it was right side up for Vegeta and Radditz. 

"Zoom out," Bra commanded, and the image became smaller, revealing more background. Jungle. "Zoom out," Bra said again, and the image shrank again. Bra scowled and hit the box, and a large-ish yellow dot appeared where Kakarott and the Human were. 

"Map!" Bra snapped, and the image that appeared surprised the bandit girl. It was a map, but one Ranchi had never seen the like of before. Vegeta raised an eyebrow though. A yellow dot blinked at one side of it, in the middle of a swirl of greens, and on the other side, amidst a different patch of green, blinked a red dot. 

"Hmph," Bra said, shifting her legs so she was sitting cross legged. "There he is. Still in the jungle, and on the wrong side, too." 

"Figures," Radditz muttered. 

"On the opposite side from Animal City," Was Vegeta's comment. Bra glanced over her map again. 

"Been there?" She asked casually. 

Vegeta ignored her, instead a burst of blue light flared around him for an instant, then he leapt into the air, speeding off and was almost out of sight by the time Radditz left the ground after him. 

"Bastards," Bra sniffed, and began packing up as Ranchi ran over to her brother.   
  


Yumcha groaned as his eyes began to register light through his eyelids. Unfortunately, the rest of him was registering a lot of pain. 

"I think he's waking up!" He heard someone say. 

"Oh, thank Kami!" Ranchi. He knew her voice anywhere. 

"Yumcha? Yumcha? Can you hear me?" Ranchi continued. Yumcha groaned and opened his eyes a crack, slowly opening them wider as they adjusted to the light. 

"Yeah?" He slurred. 

"Oh, thank Kami!" Ranchi said again. 

"Am I dead?" Yumcha mumbled. 

"No, you wouldn't be in so much pain if you were dead," Bra informed him with false cheerfulness. 

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be dead?" He asked her. 

Ranchi shook her head. "No, when the Saiyajin followed you off, I got down and checked on her. She was just unconscious, really. I was so scared for you, Yumcha!" She said, starting to cry. "That little one..." 

"Prince Vegeta," Bra cut in darkly. 

"...kept laughing and he kept blasting you," Ranchi babbled. 

"Uh, yeah, I know," Yumcha assured her. "Did you attack him?" 

Ranchi looked away, ashamed. "No." 

"S'okay, Ranchi, that was the smart thing to do. No sense both of us getting killed," Yumcha said, gritting his teeth as another wave of pain hit him. He heard Bra mumbling something under her breath. 

"Drink this," Bra commanded, holding a small vial over his mouth. He obediently opened his lips and she proceeded to carefully pour it. Swallowing, he grimaced. 

"What the hell is that? It tastes awful!" 

"It's a potion," Bra said. "It helps speed healing." 

"Why am I alive anyway?" Yumcha asked. 

"I woke Bra and we followed you. Bra did a spell for them, and they left," Ranchi informed him. 

"Oh," Yumcha said, then groaned. 

"Here, drink this," Bra said, holding out a new vial. 

"Why?" 

"It'll put you to sleep," Bra sniffed. 

"Thanks," Yumcha said, genuinely grateful. He opened his mouth and shortly was sleeping soundly, away from the pain. 

Ranchi turned to Bra. "We need to talk." 

"Hmm?" Bra blinked. 

"**You** are an idiot." 

"Huh?" 

Ranchi sighed, and slapped the black-haired young woman beside her. "You don't ever argue with people who have a distinct advantage over the situation unless you have a damn good reason. You were just making a target of yourself." 

Bra glared at her, eyes cold. She opened her mouth once, then stopped. She whirled and would have left, but Ranchi caught her arm. 

"Please don't be too mad, Bra-chan. I know you've probably never really been in a fight, not one where you could get killed, but next time something like this happens, be cautious," Ranchi said, sincerely. 

Bra removed Ranchi's hand haughtily. "If I'm going to die, I'm going out big," She threw Ranchi another blue-eyed glare and stomped off. 

Ranchi shook her head, and turned back to her brother, hoping Bra wouldn't get herself lost.   
  


Kakarott and Kuririn had just finished lunch, and were getting ready to leave when Radditz and Vegeta found them. The two boys had traveled till lunch the day after they left Animal City, before Kakarott reminded Kuririn he'd promised to show the young Saiyajin his Kienzan. So they'd stopped, eaten, and spent the rest of the day showing each other their techniques and sparring. 

Then Kuririn had complained that since Kakarott could fly, he had too much of an advantage. Kakarott, always a fan of 'fair fights', promptly began teaching him the next morning. After all, he pointed out, when they reached the sea, it would be much easier to fly over it than to find a new boat. 

The result was that they were not very far at all from where Bra had pinpointed them yesterday. 

Vegeta, of course, picked them up first. Since he was bored he'd applied himself to hunting down Kakarott, and when Vegeta applied himself to something, he got results. Radditz followed Vegeta down, landing just behind him and looking over at his brother and the little Human with him. The latter was staring at Vegeta and Radditz in a combination of nervousness and fear, while Kakarott merely looked shocked. 

"So, this is where you've gotten off to, Kakarott? You **do** realize you're ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE JUNGLE?!" Vegeta shouted at the boy. 

"Um, hi, Vegeta-ouji," Kakarott said, nervously placing a hand behind his head. The Human beside him gasped, suddenly looking decidedly ill. 

Vegeta glared at Kakarott, and Radditz fought a smirk as he realized they were about even in height, although Vegeta was a good five years older than Kakarott. For his part, Radditz was tall enough to pass easily as an adult, and he was only a year ahead of the Prince. 

"And **why** are you running around with Humans?" Vegeta snarled. 

Kakarott opened his mouth, then shut it and shrugged. Suddenly he blinked. "Where'd you get a dragonball?" He blurted. 

"What?" Vegeta asked, startled. 

"A dragonball," Kakarott repeated, pointing to the orange ball Vegeta was still holding onto. 

"This? What makes you think it's a dragonball?" Vegeta asked, his eyes narrow with suspicion. 

"Well, Bra was looking for them, and she found one while I was with her," Kakarott said. 

"Really?" Vegeta said, seeming to barely care. 

"Uh huh," Kakarott nodded, knowing from experience that when Vegeta showed no interest he was, in fact, very curious. "It had four stars, though." 

"Four?!" Vegeta straightened, bringing up the dragonball he held to study it. "This one only has two." 

"She'd probably want it, then," Kakarott mused. 

"Wait a minute, how many does she have?" Vegeta growled. 

"Um, she said she had three of them," Kakarott scratched his head, frowning in concentration. 

"Three?" Kuririn piped up. "Aren't they supposed to be scattered all over the world, virtually impossible to find?" 

"Yes," Vegeta hissed. "Who the hell are you anyway?" 

"Uh, my name is Kuririn," The boy stuttered, remembering he was supposed to be terrified. Vegeta glared at him for a moment before returning his gaze to Kakarott. 

"If they're impossible to find, how'd she get three?" Radditz wondered. 

"She's got a magic amulet that shows her where they are," Kakarott said. 

"Huh?" Vegeta blinked. "Kakarott! Idiot! Explain!" 

Kakarott cocked his head to the side, thinking. "Bra said she was looking for the dragonballs, and that she wanted to use them, so she made an amulet that would locate them. She wears it around her neck, and the dragonballs show up as little yellow lights when you turn it on." 

"**Made** it? Grrrr, that lying bitch!" Vegeta growled, clenching his hands. "If she really can find all seven dragonballs, there's no way that any wish should be wasted on her!" He continued making a growling noise, then straightened. "Kakarott, Radditz, come with me!" 

The Prince of the Saiyajin shot off into the sky, Radditz on his heels. Kakarott looked at Kuririn. Kuririn looked at Kakarott. 

"Sorry, Kuririn," Kakarott sighed, and took off after the other two. 

Kuririn frowned. "Hey, if they're actually going to find the legendary dragonballs, I want to see it!" 

The Human concentrated, levitating into the air, then sensed for Kakarott's Ki and flew off after it, as fast and as high as he could maintain.   
  


Bra and her friends had made pretty good time heading towards the next dragonball as they were all really anxious to get away from the clearing where they'd run into those two Saiyajin. Bra sighed and consulted her amulet. 

"Damn, why didn't I make **this** with a zoom function?" She grumbled. 

It seemed that the last dragonball - except the one she'd just lost to that bastard of a Saiyajin - was heading towards them. 

"What is it with this? The dragonballs surely haven't been in use recently, so why are they moving all of a sudden? Why is it, just when I decide to make a wish, everyone else decides they want to too? Why? Why me?" Bra began to whine as she walked. "And this walking is really getting me down. Next time, I'm going to have to come up with a way to move faster. Some sort of transport and a zoom function. What else do I need? Oh, a weapon. That'd be a good one. How many times does a simple peasant girl get attacked when wandering around? You'd think she'd be of no interest to anyone. I'll bet this is all Kakarott's fault. Everything went nuts the minute the monkey-boy decided to drop in for directions cause he was **lost**..." 

"Put a sock in it!" Kashumi growled at her finally. 

"Oh, don't be so snappish," Bra frowned. "I didn't **invite** you along." 

"Argh, you're so difficult," The blond woman said, touching two fingers to her forehead momentarily. "Ah-choo!" 

"Sorry, Ranchi, I'm just so... grrr, that stupid Saiyajin!" 

"You know, since he's got that one, this quest is pretty pointless," Yumcha said, moving closer to the girls to join the conversation. 

"I know," Bra sighed, slumping her shoulders forward. "It's just... I was so close." 

"There, there," Ranchi said, patting her shoulder, "I'm sure things will be okay. You don't need dragonballs to find a husband." 

"**Perfect** husband," Bra corrected. "I guess you're right. I'm being too picky about that. I'm a confident, capable woman, and I can have anything I want." 

"Hoo-boy," Yumcha muttered under his breath. Bra shot him a look before continuing. 

"After all, what guy wouldn't want to be mine? I'm lovely, virtuous, intelligent, beautiful, smart, a sorceress of immense power with a **really** good family line," Bra began ticking points off on her fingers. 

"You ought to marry a merchant," Yumcha suggested. "Between the two of you you'd probably be able to rip off just about anyone." 

"SHUT UP, YOU JERK!" Bra screeched, lunging at him. Yumcha dodged backwards, then nimbly danced well out of her reach, grinning. "Ooooo, I oughta have you **skinned**!" 

"Aw, Bra, be a sport," Yumcha snickered. 

Bra muttered something highly uncomplimentary under her breath. Then coughed. "What's that funny smell?" She asked. 

Ranchi started coughing. 

"I don't..," Yumcha started to say, before he passed out.   
  


When Ranchi woke up, the first thing she was aware of was something holding her upright. That, and that her neck hurt. Groggily she opened her eyes, and blinked. She was indeed upright, held in place by ropes, tied to... a tree. Next to her, also tied up, was Yumcha, and on the next tree over, Bra, who was awake and cursing. 

"Bra?" Ranchi called. 

"Ranchi? Oh, good, someone else is awake. Grr, when I find the moron who's tied me to a tree, I'm going to create a spell to... do something really really horrible to him!" Bra snarled. 

"Uh huh," Ranchi nodded, looking around. She wondered what her other would do, if she were here. Ranchi was, truth be told, aware of her other half, although she didn't know that the violent voice in her mind sometimes controlled their body and had it's own name. Instead, she simply labeled it 'the other', and wondered why people sometimes confused her with someone named 'Kashumi'. Still, the other might have been able to do something here that Ranchi couldn't. Ranchi sighed. 

"Hey, they're awake!" A small voice caught her attention, and Bra's also. Both girls looked around, then focused on a bush as two people pushed their way in. A very, very small girl-woman with blue skin and long dark hair, and a dog - or was it a fox - walking on all fours, wearing some sort of black cloth. 

"So they are, Mai," The dog said to it's elfish companion. "Should I go get his Majesty?" 

"Yes, Shuu, I think that's a good idea," She said. The dog-creature trotted back off into the bushes. 

"Who the hell are you?" Bra scowled at her. 

"I am Mai, loyal advisor and aid to his Majesty, Lord Pilaf, soon to be Emperor of the World!" She strode forward proudly, stopping beside Bra. She came to Bra's knee, yet up close it was very apparent that she was correctly proportioned for her height. 

"**What** the hell are you?" Bra asked. 

"A Gnome," Mai sniffed. "Actually, I'm a very special Gnome. A Super Gnome! One is born every hundred years, and I'm it!" 

"Oh. Good for you," Bra said, unimpressed. 

"Um, excuse me, Miss Mai, but what's the difference between a Super Gnome and a normal one?" Ranchi questioned. 

"Well," Mai said haughtily, "a normal Gnome, is a Gnome, but a Super Gnome has an extra ability ordinary Gnomes don't possess. The ability to locate the seven magical dragonballs!" 

"WHAT?!!" Bra screeched. "So **you're **the little bastards that've been stealing my dragonballs!" 

"They are not **your** dragonballs," Mai scowled. "They are the property of his Majesty." 

"You wanna bet?" Bra growled back. 

Mai kicked the Human girl in the shin. Bra gritted her teeth, and tried to kick back, only to find her ankles were secured. Mai reached up and plucked one of Bra's magical pouches off her belt. 

"HEY! You give that back, you smelly little freak!" Bra howled. 

"I can sense dragonballs in here!" Mai said excited. "His Majesty will be so pleased!" Turning, the Gnome woman sprinted out of the clearing, disappearing through that bush. 

"Come back you... you little monster!" Bra screamed. Ranchi winced. The noise was incredible. 

Yumcha groaned, then gasped as he came to. 

"Hey, what am I doing tied to a tree?" He blurted. 

"Some Gnomes tied us up," Ranchi told him helpfully. 

"Yes," Bra said, practically spitting with anger. "Tied up by some little thieving Gnomes. I wish **I** was a Saiyajin, so I could **eat** them." 

"O-kay," Yumcha said, hoping to not to incite her wrath. "Can someone please fill me in?"   


**- Finis Chapter 3 -**   
Please take two seconds from your life to bring a spark of joy into mine - review! :) 


	4. "Pilaf summons the Dragon. When's the ne...

**Legends of Kakarott**

**Chapter Four: Pilaf summons the Dragon. When's the next wish?**

Warning: Language 

  
Bra was still furious a few minutes later when the bushes rustled again, and out walked Mai, Shuu, and another short blue person, a man, whom Bra assumed was this 'Emperor Pilaf' of theirs. 

"She's the one who had them," Mai said, pointing to Bra. 

The Human girl glared at the Gnomes. "You've got some nerve, you know! How dare you spell me and my friends, then steal my property?!" 

The Gnomes looked somewhat offended. 

"Do you know who I am?" The newest asked, drawing himself up to his full height and trying to look important. 

"Pilaf, would-be Emperor of the World?" Bra guessed with a sneer. 

"I **will** be Emperor of the World!" Pilaf screeched at her, jumping up and down in a tiny explosion of fury. 

"Yeah, but you're missing a dragonball," Bra pointed out, a smug looking nestling onto her face. 

"So? I'll have it in no time! Mai and Shuu were just going to leave to hunt it down," Pilaf informed her grandly. 

"Yeah, but I know who has it," Bra said, chuckling evilly, "and I'd love to be there when **you** meet him." 

Yumcha snickered. 

"You can't scare us!" Mai said defiantly. 

"Really?" Bra grinned nastily, leaning forward as far as she could. 

"Yes!" Mai shouted. 

"**Really**?" Bra asked again. 

"You just don't take me seriously, do you?" Pilaf grumbled. 

"Of course I don't take you seriously, you moron!" Bra screamed. "You barely make it up to my knees, you're blue, and until now I'd **NEVER** heard of you before in my life!" 

"Well, all that will change," Pilaf assured her with a confident nod. 

"Sure, shorty. The day you become Emperor of the World, I'll marry you," Bra sniffed. 

Pilaf eyed her, suddenly looking nervous. "No, I think I'll marry a nice Gnome girl, thank you very much." 

"***WHAT***!!?!" Bra stared open-mouthed, which was lucky, because if she'd continued ranting immediately after that scream no one would have been able to hear her. Yumcha watched her face go red and darken in anger as he shook his head to clear the ringing in his ears. 

"**I** offer to marry you if you succeed in your **STUPID** quest, and you **TURN ME DOWN**!!!" Bra screamed finally. 

"If you yell one more time..," Pilaf glared at her, hands firmly over his ears. Shuu whimpered pitifully, and tried to clamp his paws over his own ears. 

"You'll what?" Bra yelled, her fists clenched hard and her face twisted with glare that promised Pilaf a painful death. 

"I'll... use my ecchi attack on you!" Pilaf yelled back, his hands still over his ears. 

"What?" Bra blinked, shocked back into normal volume. 

"I said I'll use my ecchi attack on you!" Pilaf glared at her, lowering his hands slowly. 

Bra grinned nervously and back away as far as she could while being tied to a tree. 

"Now, who has the last dragonball?" Pilaf questioned in a no-nonsense tone. 

"Emperor!" Mai squeaked immediately. "You don't need to ask **her**, I can find it for you! In fact, it's coming closer right now!" 

"It is?" Pilaf asked, surprised. 

"It's** what**?" Bra shrieked. 

"Now you've done it!" Pilaf yelled at the black-haired young woman. He glared for a moment, then sneered at her. Bra cringed. Straightening, he slowly brought his hand up to his mouth and kissed his fingertips. Bringing it away from his lips, he maneuvered his hand so the palm faced up, then blew firmly across the upturned skin. 

The birds fell silent. 

Bra blinked. "Um, was that it?" She asked in disbelief. 

"What do you mean, 'was that it'?" Pilaf gasped, taking a step back from her. 

"That **was** it, wasn't it?" Bra said, relaxing. 

"That was what?" A voice cut through the conversation. Vegeta was leaning with his back against a nearby tree, the last dragonball held casually in one gloved hand. Radditz was leaning in a mirror pose on the other side of the tree, with Kakarott standing partly behind his tall brother. 

(Author: [See it!][1]) 

"Ah, the last dragonball!" Pilaf piped up. "You've brought it to me!" 

Vegeta eyed Pilaf and grinned ferally. "Or perhaps, you've obtained the other six for **me**," The Saiyajin Prince said softly. 

"Hi, Bra!" Kakarott called, waving to her. 

Vegeta's expression shifted subtly from a grin to clenched teeth. Radditz winced. 

"Hi, Kakarott," Bra said, rolling her eyes. 

"Hello again," Ranchi said politely. Yumcha just glared. 

"Oh, forget any conversation! Just hand over the other dragonballs, you tiny blue freak!" Vegeta ordered Pilaf, standing up and striding across the clearing, his tail lashing behind him. 

"I will not!" Pilaf protested indignantly. Vegeta suddenly blurred, reappearing right in front of Pilaf. Before the would-be Emperor could even yelp, Vegeta had the front of his robe in a tight fist, and the Gnome found himself hoisted up, eye-to-eye with the annoyed Saiyajin. 

"Eeep!" Pilaf squeaked, and began thrashing about. 

"Hey! Release the Emperor!" Mai demanded. Vegeta ignored her and began shaking Pilaf. 

"Come on, where are they?" He growled. Pilaf made a noise that was half scream, half moan, and rather disjointed because of the shaking. 

"You can't treat the Emperor that way!" Mai shouted, jumping up and down. "Shuu! Get them!" 

The fox-dog growled, and sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled forcefully. And continued exhaling, long past the point he should have finished. 

"It's that smell!" Bra coughed, before she collapsed, unconscious. Beside her Yumcha was already out. 

"Vegeta!" Radditz yelled as he watched his Prince drop an insensate Pilaf before falling groggily to the ground. He heard a sharp sneeze, then passed out.   
  


Shuu stopped exhaling and began panting as Mai removed a piece of white cloth - liberally embroidered with magical symbols - from over her mouth and nose. They surveyed the fox-dog's handiwork. 

"Good, they're all asleep," Shuu said, sitting back on his haunches. 

"Help me with his Majesty," Mai commanded, struggling to lift Pilaf from where he lay. 

"Right," Shuu said, obediently trotting over and sinking to the ground so Mai could maneuver Pilaf onto his back. The Gnome woman then prized the seventh dragonball from Vegeta's fist, and jumped onto Shuu's back behind Pilaf. 

"Let's go somewhere where the Emperor can make his wish without a bunch of noisy bullies!" Mai said enthusiastically. 

"Okay!" Shuu cried, leaping forward and bounding off into the bushes. 

Behind them, the blonde woman sagging uncomfortably against her ropes opened her green eyes and straightened up. 

"Great," Kashumi muttered darkly. "I'm tied to a tree, surrounded by losers who don't know when to avoid breathing in. Sneaky little creeps, those Gnomes. I'll give them that." 

The young woman stiffened as she sensed an approaching Ki. She glanced at her brother, before remembering that he lacked her ability to sense powerful Kis without trying. She looked up as a short bald kid descended out of the sky. He landed, looking around in surprise. 

"Hey!" Kashumi yelled. "Kid! Untie me now!" 

"Um, okay," Kuririn said, looking bewildered. He quickly moved behind her tree and began working the knots. 

"Use the knife in my boot!" She snarled. 

"Okay!" He yelped, reaching shaking fingers down beside Kashumi's ankle and drawing out the dagger. He quickly slit the ropes, and Kashumi spun and grabbed the knife of him. 

"Thanks, kid!" She called, already sprinting off after the Gnomes. 

"Hey, Miss!" Kuririn called after her, then stopped, looking at the unconscious bodies around him. 

"Damn, what happened here? Hey, Kakarott!" Kuririn moved over to the small Saiyajin and started shaking him. "Wake up, Kakarott!" 

After a few more minutes of shaking and calling, Kuririn sat back. "This isn't working. He's not dead, I can sense his Ki, and everyone else's here. Oh well, I might as well have something to eat before I try again. Flying is hard work." 

Beside him, Kakarott twitched. Kuririn saw the movement and quickly reached over, shaking him. "Kakarott, wake up!" 

"Huh?" Kakarott mumbled. 

"Hey, hello!" Kuririn said, smiling at him. 

"Kuririn? What happened?" Kakarott yawned, dragging himself into a sitting position. 

"You tell me," Kuririn said, gesturing. Kakarott's yawn turned into an openmouthed gape as he took in the senseless bodies. 

"Gee," He said after a moment, scratching his head, "I don't know. Bra might, I guess," He pointed to the dark-haired girl propped up against a tree. 

"Okay, I'll wake her and that guy, okay? You can, um... wake your, uh... other friends," Kuririn said nervously. 

"Okay," Kakarott agreed. 

Kuririn found it much easier waking the young man, who introduced himself as Yumcha and asked about his sister after directing Kuririn to a knife in his boot. 

"Who?" Kuririn asked as he moved over to shake Bra. 

"The blue haired girl who was tied to that tree," Yumcha said, indicating the tree of his other side. 

"Oh, there was a blonde woman there," Kuririn said. "She was awake, and I cut her free, and then she ran off. Hey, Miss Bra, please wake up." 

"Okay," Yumcha muttered, eyeing a waking Radditz warily. Kakarott bounced over to Vegeta as the long haired Saiyajin picked himself up. 

Bra woke up. "Hey, who are you?" She asked as Kuririn cut her ropes. 

"My name's Kuririn," He said, handing Yumcha back the knife. 

"Where's Ranchi?" Bra said, stepping forward and rubbing her arms. 

"What the hell was that?" Vegeta growled as he woke up, shaking off Kakarott's helping hand and glaring at Radditz as he climbed to his feet. 

"A sleeping spell," Bra said authoritatively, the corner of her mouth twisting up in an arrogant smile. Vegeta narrowed his eyes. 

Suddenly thunder rumbled, causing everyone to tense. The sky began to darken and the wind picked up, howling as it blew through the trees. 

"What's happening?" Kakarott asked, alarmed. 

"Oh, Kami! No! Someone's summoning my dragon!" Bra shrieked, staring in horror at the sky. 

"Wow!" Yumcha exclaimed a second later. "What a Ki!" 

The Saiyajin and Kuririn all sensed, different degrees of surprise and awe registering on their faces. 

"No, no, no!" Bra wailed, stamping her foot. "Where is it?!" 

"That way," Yumcha pointed as Vegeta levitated off the ground and shot off at full speed in said direction. 

"Shimatta!" Bra cursed, running of after him. Yumcha shrugged and followed, noticing that the other Saiyajin and Kuririn were flying and already ahead of him.   
  


Kashumi had stopped running as soon as she sensed the Kis of the Gnomes stop moving. She'd gone forward on foot until she could hear their voices, then she'd climbed a tree. She silently picked her way over the branch she was on and into a closer tree. The blonde bandit scuttled around for a few more seconds, before finding herself a perch that gave her a clear view of the proceedings below. 

The Gnomes were standing on the other side of a small stream, where the forest obviously began to end, as the trees were suddenly scarce. The two humanoid ones were busily arranging the dragonballs into a circle, while the dog-fox scratched itself behind one ear. 

"There, it's done!" Mai clapped her hands in delight. 

"And now, there is nothing to stop me!" Pilaf said, bouncing up and down in excitement. Abruptly he stopped and raised his hands. Mai and Shuu immediately stood to attention, looking very solemn. 

"Arise, oh Shenlong, and grant my wish!" Pilaf, soon-to-be Emperor of the World, intoned. 

Kashumi hastily pushed back a gasp as the dragonballs began to glow, and lightning arched in the sky overhead. Suddenly there was a blinding glow, and a huge shape reared up. Kashumi's eyes widened as she felt a Ki, the strongest she'd felt in her life so far, and found herself staring at the Eternal Dragon. 

"Who has summoned me?" It demanded in a huge voice. 

"I did!" Pilaf's answering squeak barely seemed enough to gain the attention of such a large and powerful creature. 

"State your wish," The dragon called down formally. Kashumi blinked, suddenly springing to action. The blonde woman easily leapt from her tree branch and landed lightly on the ground. 

"I wish..," Pilaf began, in as grand a tone as he could muster. 

"... for a diamond the size of my fist!" Kashumi shrieked, interrupting his Majesty. 

The dragon eyed her for a moment as the Gnomes spun around, staring in horror. 

"Your wish is granted!" The dragon boomed. Kashumi opened her hand as her eye caught sight of an object falling from the sky. Sure enough, cut into a perfect rectangular prism, the stone dropped snugly into her hand. 

"Ha!" Kashumi cried, triumphant. She looked up from the diamond at the Gnomes, sneering at their loss. 

"No, no, no!" Pilaf wailed, stamping his foot. "You can't have my wish!" 

"And now, I sleep till next I am summoned," The dragon spoke one last time, then roared. It disappeared, and the dragonballs rose into the air, suddenly becoming dim and gray. Then they shot off at speeds too fast for even Kashumi's Ki-enhanced vision to follow, in seven different directions. 

Kashumi eyed the approaching Gnomes, and chose to ignore them, instead inspecting the diamond. 

"You wished for a stupid rock?!" An angry growl called down. Kashumi looked up to see Vegeta hanging in the sky, glaring at her. 

"Hey, this thing must be worth millions in gold," Kashumi laughed. "Too bad Saiyajin don't care for wealth, isn't it? I mean, I've never mugged one who had anything really worth stealing on 'em." 

"**You** couldn't mug a Saiyajin if he was lying on the ground unconscious!" Vegeta snapped. 

"You warriors think you're all that, don't you?" Kashumi sneered. "Well, caution and a good trick'll win over brute power any day!" 

"Then you better have one hell of a good trick up your sleeve, bitch!" 

Kashumi opened her mouth to reply, but jumped out of the way of a Ki blast instead. Quickly she turned and sprinted back into the forest, ducking behind a tree, then using it as cover as she made her way further in. By the time the tree was demolished enough for her to be seen, she was gone. 

Vegeta snarled and sensed for her Ki, picking it up easily, but held off chasing her as Kakarott and Radditz approached him. 

"She made the wish?" Radditz queried. 

"Yes," Vegeta snapped. "She wished for a diamond. Of all the things the stupid woman could have wished for... But, before the dragon left it said it could be summoned again." 

"Really?" Kakarott asked. 

Vegeta threw him a quick glare. "Are you doubting my words, Kakarott?" 

Kakarott cocked his head to the side and Radditz made a strangled sound. The tall Saiyajin casually smacked his brother in the head - hard. 

"Ow," Kakarott mumbled, rubbing his head. 

"I guess we'd better find that other stupid girl," Vegeta decided. "She seems to know the most about the dragonballs." 

He didn't wait for a reply, shooting off in the direction of the Humans' Kis. The others hurried to follow.   
  


Bra handed back Kashumi's diamond with a sulky look on her pretty face. "Very nice," She grumbled. 

"Yeah, well, it's been real great, but I'll be off now, and I'm taking my brother with me," Kashumi said, ignoring Yumcha's attempts to take the diamond and deftly placing it into her tunic. Yumcha glared at her. 

"Thanks a lot," Bra snapped. 

"No hard feelings. You wouldn't want to be bowing down to a Gnome now, would you?" Kashumi smirked. 

Bra gritted her teeth. "Okay, Kashumi, you saved the word from a Gnome. Are you happy?" 

Kashumi opened her mouth to reply, then half turned, bringing up an arm to guard against the Ki blast, that slammed into her a moment later. 

"Hey!" Yumcha shouted, sending off a blast back at Vegeta, who had landed, Radditz, Kakarott and Kuririn behind him. The Prince dodged nimbly, forcing Kakarott to move too to avoid being hit. Vegeta walked over to Bra, ignoring the other two Humans. 

"Girl, tell me about the dragon," Vegeta ordered. 

Bra pursed her lips, taking no effort to hide her displeasure. "What about it?" She grumbled. 

"It said it can be summoned again," Vegeta said, taking no effort to hide his annoyance. 

"Of course it can. It wouldn't be much of a recurring legend if it couldn't, would it?" Bra sniffed. 

"We have to gather the dragonballs again?" Vegeta pressed. 

"Again?" Bra looked confused. 

"After the dragon disappeared, they flew off," Radditz cut in, hoping to avoid lengthy arguments. 

"Flew off?" Bra raised an eyebrow. 

"Yeah, all in different directions," Kakarott piped up. "They were going so fast I couldn't track them." 

Bra reached for the leather cord around her neck and tugged her amulet free of her tunic. The metal circle fit in her hand and she tapped the side a few times.   
"Kuso!" She swore, scowling fiercely at it. 

"What?" Vegeta snapped. 

"My amulet isn't picking them up anymore. They must still be moving, and moving fast. I guess you'll have to wait for them to land or something," Bra grumbled, turning it over. "Although that's so obvious, I have no idea why** I'm** telling you," She added under her breath, then pulled something from one of her pouches and began to tinker with her amulet. 

Vegeta growled and lunged forward, grabbing her hand. "What are you doing to it?" He hissed. 

"I'm trying to get it working again!" Bra yelped. 

He let her go with a look of distaste that he'd touched her. "It's broken?" 

"I don't know," Bra said sulkily, "but it's not picking them up." 

"So? Didn't you just say it would work again when they stop moving?" Vegeta questioned irritably. 

Bra seemed offended. "Yes, but it doesn't pick them up **now**, so obviously it can be improved." 

"Forget it, just give it to me," Vegeta ordered. 

"What?!" Bra yelped. She glared at him. 

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Just hand it over, stupid, and I won't kill you this time," He sneered. "Not that someone as loud and obscene as you will probably live much longer." 

Bra pursed her lips, her face dark. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she smiled brightly, a false cooperativeness permeating her expression. "Oh, if you won't kill me, all right," She said, placing her free hand to her collarbone even as her other hand slipped the leather cord off her neck. She held out the amulet towards the Saiyajin. 

Vegeta stared at it as if it was somehow poisonous to the touch. His gaze met her eyes suspiciously. 

Her lower lip began to quiver, and her eyes began to water. She sniffed and her shoulders sagged as her free hand moved up to press itself to her forehead. "Nobody likes me!" She wailed, beginning to shake with some kind of sobs. "Nobody even likes my incredible inventions!" 

"Shut the hell up!" Vegeta snapped, grabbing the amulet in a jerky motion. He gave the thing another suspicious glare, then levitated up through the tree canopy.   
"Well?" His voice called down. 

"What?" Bra called back, absently wiping her eyes, no trace of sobs in her voice. 

"Not you, **idiot**! Radditz! Kakarott! Are you coming or not?!" Vegeta yelled impatiently. 

"Coming, Vegeta-sama," Radditz said, shooting up to join his Prince. Kakarott looked over at Kuririn, who met his gaze. Kuririn shrugged, and Kakarott looked torn. 

"**Kakarott**," Vegeta called warningly. 

"Um, can I catch up in a bit?" Kakarott yelled up to him. 

"Catch up?! What the hell are you going to do?" Vegeta demanded. 

"And it's 'Can I catch up in a bit, **Vegeta-sama**'," Radditz scolded. 

"I'm just, um, going to...," Kakarott's hand reached up behind his head of it's own accord. 

"Kakarott, you're trying to lie," Radditz yelled down, annoyed. 

"Please?" Kakarott asked. 

"Saiyajin do not ask 'please'," Vegeta growled. 

Bra abruptly cut off a giggle at the look on Kakarott's face. 'Poor guy can't win,' She thought, shaking her head. 

Kuririn abruptly sidled up to Kakarott and whispered something into his ear. 

"I'm going to fight with Kuririn! Now that he knows how to fly we can have a proper match!" Kakarott called up. 

"Whatever!" Vegeta snapped. "Just hurry up!" 

"**Try** not to get lost," Radditz snarled. 

"Okay!" Kakarott agreed. He and Kuririn continued facing upwards for a few more moments, then Kuririn relaxed, sensing their Kis depart. He turned to Kakarott. 

"So that's really Prince Vegeta?" The Human boy asked. 

"Oh yes," Bra growled. "That's him. How can you miss him? Oh wait, he's so short, unless you look down or he decides to float around like a fluffy black-haired cloud, or he opens his big, loud mouth, you'd never know he was there!" 

Kuririn gave her a puzzled look, then shrugged. "So, Kakarott, what are you going to do?" 

"Go with you and meet Kamesennin, I guess," Kakarott said, cocking his head to the side. 

"Though why you'd want to meet that **ancient** geezer is beyond me. Did you know he tried to peek when Ranchi and I were bathing?" Bra glared at the memory. 

"**You** know Kamesennin?" Kuririn gasped. 

"Of course, he had a dragonball," Bra said, flipping her hair back. "Well, it's been really cute, but I'm going home, and next year I hope I don't meet any of you." 

"Next year?" Kuririn asked, confused. 

"Yes," Bra laughed. "Next year, when the dragonballs become active again! Then I'll collect them all and make **my** wish!" 

Kakarott and Kuririn exchanged a look as the dark haired girl sauntered off into the forest. 

"If she doesn't want to meet anyone next year, why'd she give Prince Vegeta her amulet?" Kuririn pondered. 

"I don't know," Kakarott shrugged. "Come on, Kuririn. I'll get in trouble if we take too long." 

"Too long?" Kuririn laughed as the two levitated up into the sky. "I intend to train there for **years**." 

"Well, then it's a good thing Vegeta-sama didn't say when exactly to be back by!" Kakarott yelled as he followed Kuririn towards the sea and Kame Island.   
  


_Almost a week later..._

"Are you sure about this, Uranai?" The old hermit - known by many names - asked his short sister as he watched Kuririn and Kakarott attempting to fish off the coast of his small island. 

"Of course not!" Uranai-no-Baba snapped at him. "It's future! You can never be completely sure about the future. But he passed those tests you gave him. He rode that dumb cloud, and you can't argue with that!" 

"That's true," Kamesennin mused, "but time can change anyone." 

"Good, bad, ugly, that **thing** isn't going to sleep forever," Uranai warned. "Sooner or later it'll break lose. Sorcery and witchcraft aren't going to stop it, those Islanders don't give a damn about the mainland - unless they decide to conquer it, which is what anyone else with enough potential power is interested in doing. It's him or nothing. We've been through this argument before. Too much of the power in this world is in evil or unscrupulous, selfish hands. The kid's got a pure heart, nobody will miss him, and since he's a Saiyajin..." 

"'Since he's a Saiyajin' what?" Kamesennin scowled. 

"**They** have mangled a lot of facts in their legends of the Super Saiyajin, but there are still some witches who know it. As one of the most powerful witches on this miserable planet, I have more information than they do," Uranai said firmly. 

"More information," Kamesennin repeated. "You're guessing, aren't you?" 

Uranai sighed. "Fine, do as you please. Stay wrapped up in the past." 

"All the Saiyajin I've ever met are killers, Uranai." 

"Yes, you would know, since you used to kill them for a living." 

"Cheap shot." 

"I wish mother was still alive." 

"That's because she always agrees with you." 

"Duh." 

"Fine, I'll give him a shot." 

"That's all I ask." 

"I don't see how it'll help, though." 

Uranai snorted. "That's my job, not yours." 

The small woman jumped up onto the crystal ball levitated beside her. "See you later, Roshi," She called as she flew off. 

"Yeah, whatever," He mumbled as he waved. He looked down at the turtle sitting on the sand beside him. "Well, we better get cracking. The triennial Island Tournament is only a year away. We'll make participating in that their first goal."   


**- Finis Chapter 4 -**   
Please take two seconds from your life to bring a spark of joy into mine: review! :) 

   [1]: http://redrival.com/lockheart/3saiyanspic.html



	5. "There's a tournament at the Islands! Fi...

**Legends of Kakarott**

**Chapter Five: There's a tournament at the Islands! Find the Dragonballs or Fight?**

Warning: Language, Violence, Sexual References 

  
Kakarott hovered high above the sea, enjoying the now familiar salty smell in the air and the warmth of the sun on his back. He watched Kuririn down below, playing with a giant squid that had come too close to Kame Island. It was hard to believe he'd been there a year - and it constantly amazed him how much he'd learnt in that year. Kamesennin - or Master Roshi, as he had told the boys to call him - was a very good fighter, and a good teacher as well. He had so many odd and interesting ideas that Kakarott was sure he hadn't learnt even half of what the old hermit knew. It wasn't all Ki techniques though. Kakarott had started to learn about meditation and falling - imagine, practicing **falling** - and other things he hadn't ever thought would have an impact on the way he fought. The training had made fighting even more fun then it had been before - and fighting had always been what Kakarott loved best! 

He heard a shout below and grinned down at his bald friend. Kuririn had finished off the squid and was calling him down to help drag it home. Seafood, now that was another nice thing about living at Kame Island. Kakarott had been thinking about that, actually. Food seemed to be different everywhere, so one day maybe he should travel around and try all the different types. Right now, though, there was squid to be dragged home, so Kakarott flew down and helped Kuririn cart the unwieldy mass back to the Island. 

"Ah, you boys are earning your keep, hmm?" Kamesennin greeted them. 

"Well, with Kakarott here, I doubt this'll last us till tomorrow," Kuririn grinned. 

"Yes, but before you decide that's your hunting for the day, I've picked up someone who seems to be approaching the island. It's a weak Ki off that way," Kamesennin pointed towards the mainland. "I want you two to go find out who it is, okay? Invite them for dinner, perhaps." 

"Okay!" Kuririn said, jumping into the air. 

"But if we have a few extra hours, shouldn't we be doing training exercises?" Kakarott asked hopefully. 

"You can train all you want when you get back. This shouldn't take you boys long," Kamesennin said, sitting down on the sand near his pet turtle. 

"Okay," Kakarott shrugged, and flew up after Kuririn. He briefly wondered whether Master Roshi was trying to teach them something new. Some of the things he'd gotten them to do hadn't made any sense until later, and checking out a possible visitor didn't seem very important to the Saiyan. 

Kakarott knew he'd been getting more powerful during the past months. Kuririn had been too, probably since Kakarott had been considerably stronger when they'd first arrived, and he'd had to train harder then Kakarott - first to catch up and then to keep up. He still hadn't caught up in terms of raw power. Kuririn had had to bone up on his tactics instead, to keep Kakarott guessing. Kakarott was intrigued at the way the other boy could come up with new techniques so readily. The one where he'd lowered his Ki till Kakarott had had to sense very carefully for his Ki's uniqueness to pick him up at all was one of the few abilities Kakarott hadn't been able to master immediately. Master Roshi said it was because Saiyans respect strength too much to want to hide how strong they were. It still was annoying when Kuririn suddenly disappeared in a match, only to catch Kakarott completely off-guard. 

"Hey, Kakarott, are you awake?" Kuririn said, waving a hand in front of the other boy's face. 

"Huh?" Kakarott blinked. 

"I said, 'Have you ever seen a boat like that?'," Kuririn repeated, pointed down. 

"No," Kakarott said after a second. He hadn't seen many boats at all, but the one below them was the oddest he'd ever seen. There weren't any sides to keep the water out - it was just a flat rectangle with a pole rising from each corner. A rail of some sort stretched around all the poles. The lone occupant sat in the middle, with no apparent baggage. 

"Let's check it out," Kakarott said, his curiosity aroused. 

"I'm already there," Kuririn said, rocketing downwards. Kakarott wasted no time at all in speeding after him. 

The girl in the boat looked up as they were almost beside it and screamed once. Both boys halted in their tracks, surprised by the sudden noise. 

"Hey, is that you, Kakarott?" She called up after a second. 

"Uh, yeah," He replied, scratching his head. "Who are you?" 

"What do you mean, 'Who am I?'?" The girl yelled, sounded very annoyed. "It's me! Bra! Don't tell me you've forgotten me!!" 

"Oh yeah, the girl with the dragonballs!" Kuririn said, floating down and keeping pace with her boat-thing. 

"Ah, I remember you. You're that nice, bald kid that cut me loose from that tree," Bra said. 

"Yeah," Kuririn nodded. 

"I'm afraid your name escapes me," Bra said diplomatically. 

"It's Kuririn," Kuririn reminded her, "and I'm not bald. I shave my head. It's a tradition of the warriors in my kingdom." 

"How come you're here, Bra?" Kakarott asked, flying down beside Kuririn. 

"I'm gathering the dragonballs again," She smiled. Suddenly her eyes widened. "Hey, if you're here, does that mean Prince Vegeta is here too?" 

"No, I haven't seen him since last year," Kakarott said, shaking his head. 

"Last year?" Bra raised an eyebrow. "Did you get lost again?" 

"No!" Kakarott yelped. 

"He's been training with me," Kuririn explained. "You know, Prince Vegeta just told him to..." 

"Hurry up," Bra interrupted. "My, aren't you quick? I guess that explains why you aren't wearing armour. He he he, I knew he wouldn't be able to get that amulet working again!" 

"Huh?" Kakarott asked. 

"Oh, the dragonball amulet I gave him last year. I thought he was going to take it," Bra giggled. "I made sure it wouldn't work. After all, even if he hadn't demanded it, I was planning on making a new and improved one." 

"Oh," Kakarott said, looking at her warily. "I don't think he'll be happy." 

"No, I shouldn't expect him to be," Bra said airily, "but as long as he's nowhere near me, I couldn't care less." 

Kakarott shifted in the air. 

Bra glanced at the island that was getting bigger by the second. "Is that old pervert still around?" 

"Uh, yeah, he's been training us," Kuririn said. 

"Oh, I knew that," Bra nodded, then scowled angrily. "Hey, if he tries peeking on me, I expect the two of you to bash him up for me." 

"Yeah right!" Kuririn exclaimed. "He could take probably take us both on and walk away victorious." 

"Yeah, he's so sneaky," Kakarott nodded. 

"Speaking of old perverts," Bra muttered, noticing how close they were to the beach. Kamesennin stood very visibly at the water's edge. The black-haired girl stood up and began to mutter odd syllables under her breath. Her boat suddenly rose up and Kakarott realized it had been flying all the time - no wonder it hadn't been rocking or getting water in it. The contraption flew itself over and set down on the sand, and Bra jumped gracefully over the rails. 

"Ah, hello Bra!" Kamesennin greeted her, shuffling up with a big smile on his face. Bra narrowed her eyes warily. "How nice to see you again," He continued. "That lovely Ranchi isn't with you this time?" 

"No, she's not," Bra sniffed, pulling an amulet out of her tunic. It looked just like the other dragonball amulet. She started tapping the sides and surface. 

"Is that a table?" He asked, pointing to the strange craft behind her. 

"It was once," Bra said absently. "It's a flying table now." 

"Right, and a nice table too," Kamesennin mumbled. "Are you hunting down the dragonballs again? Surely a pretty girl like you has other things to do then running around the world." 

"Yes, I am hunting them again, since Kashumi made the wish last year. Besides, this year I'm prepared better," Bra grinned nastily. "Now, please leave me alone. I have to figure out where this dragonball is." 

"There's one around here?" Kamesennin asked. 

"Yes." 

"Well, it's probably underwater then," The old man told her. 

"That's no problem," Bra said. "I have an underwater cape." 

"Oh," Kamesennin nodded. 

"An underwater cape?" Kuririn asked. 

"It's a cape with a spell on it, that lets you breathe and talk underwater," Bra explained, reaching into one of her four pouches. She pulled out a short, gray half-length cape. 

"Wow, can I try it?" Kuririn asked, reaching for it. 

"I guess so," Bra handed it to him. "But don't tear it! If you damage it, it won't work anymore." 

"Okay!" Kuririn said, tying it on and flying off towards deeper water. 

"You know, you should probably start diving tomorrow morning," Kamesennin said. "After all, you want as much time as you can get." 

"I suppose I'd have to stay here the night anyway," Bra scowled. 

"Yep," Kamesennin agreed a little too quickly. "Besides, you can take the boys with you tomorrow. I think I've got a couple of those capes around here somewhere." 

"You do?" Kakarott asked. 

"Mm hmm. Don't look so surprised. You and Kuririn may be able to hold your breath for long periods of time, but when you aren't here I have to fish for myself, and I'm too old to be messing around," Kamesennin said, adjusting the odd 'sunglasses' he always wore over his eyes. He'd named them once when Kuririn asked what they were, and said they were a present from his sister. 

"Fine then," Bra decided, reaching into a pouch. She withdrew a short stick. "I'll stay the night. I better not catch you trying to peek at me, though, old man," She warned, pressing a small blue spot on the side of the stick. A wave of lightning crackled over the device, indicating it was more then just a simple stick. "Otherwise you will meet my lightning wand in a **very** personal way."   
  


After breakfast the next morning Kamesennin dug out two more underwater capes, and the small party of three set out - Bra on her flying table, the boys flying beside her. They circled around for a while until Bra decided they were pretty much exactly over the dragonball. Securing the table in the air, she pulled the cape out of her pouch and flipped off her tunic top and pants, revealing a band of purple cloth around her chest and a matching pair of short pants. 

Kuririn stared at her, his mouth slightly ajar. 

Bra scowled at the water, and fastened the cape around her neck. She held up her amulet and turned it on, then put a foot up onto one of the rails and jumped up and into the water. She disappeared with a splash, and didn't resurface. 

"Hey, Kuririn, do you want this cape or not?" Kakarott asked, waving one of Kamesennin's capes in the Human's face. The Saiyan was already wearing the other. 

"Kakarott! Did you see her?! She was only wearing those funny little clothes," Kuririn stared at the water where Bra had jumped in. 

"So?" 

"She was practically naked!" 

"Haven't you ever seen a naked girl?" Kakarott asked, cocking his head to the side. 

"No... WHAT??!! Have you?!" Kuririn spluttered in shock as he spun to face the Saiyan. 

"Yeah," Kakarott said. 

"... And you just say 'Yeah'?!" Kuririn's voice came out at an unusually high pitch. 

Kakarott offered him the cape again. "So she's not wearing any clothes. So what?" 

Kuririn suddenly plummeted into the water, sending up a huge splash that managed to drench his friend. 

Kuririn broke the surface, splashing his arms around before finally levitating back up. 

"You forgot to put on the cape..." Kakarott began to scold him. 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'SO WHAT'?! She's **naked**! That's **what**!" Kuririn shouted. 

"No, Bra wasn't naked," Kakarott corrected. 

Kuririn narrowed his eyes. "Just where exactly did you see a naked girl?" He asked suspiciously. 

"I was Tabelu's guard for a few years. She used to take baths sometimes when she said she couldn't wait for the rainy season," Kakarott told him. 

"And how old is this Tabelu?" 

"Um, about a year older than me. I think," Kakarott shrugged, indicating a distinct lack of concern. 

"Oh, well, I guess if she's a fighter - and what Saiyan isn't? - she probably wasn't all that well developed, being so young and all...," Kuririn trailed off, shaking his head. "Still, Bra looks like she's got bust to spare." 

"'Bust'?" Kakarott asked. 

"Breasts. You know, those things on women's chests?" Kuririn made a few gestures. 

"Oh," Kakarott said. He held out the cape again. "Are you going to put this on or not?" 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kuririn sighed, taking the cape and fastening it on. "I can't believe you don't care about seeing a girl almost naked. Don't you **know**?" He asked. 

"Know what?" Kakarott asked, starting to look impatient. 

"Never mind," Kuririn sighed, letting himself drop into the water. 

Kakarott followed him down, suppressing a familiar twinge of unease at the huge amount of water he was voluntarily lowering himself into. Kuririn waited for him to catch up, remembering that Kakarott wasn't a very good swimmer. 

"Can you sense her?" Kuririn asked. 

Kakarott opened and closed his mouth a few times, getting used to the idea that it wasn't going to fill with water. "Yeah, she's down that way," The Saiyan said, pointing. Kuririn nodded and swam down after her, Kakarott sticking close by. 

The underwater scenery was beautiful, small fish hovering around the odd plants that grew on the rocky, uneven surfaces where there was enough light. They went deep to where the water began to get cold before noticing Bra waiting for them, treading water near a large pink coral. 

"I was wondering whether you'd decided to skip out on me," Bra said, annoyed. "Come on, I've found a cave, and I'm sure the dragonball is in there!" 

Without waiting for an answer she turned and swam past the pink coral and disappeared from sight. The boys followed, easily finding the opening she'd gone into. It was a small, narrow rock tunnel that led them down and down, and then, surprisingly, up. Kakarott waited patiently as Kuririn paused ahead of him before disappearing. Kakarott swam upwards and found his head surrounded by air. Kuririn stood nearby, a small Ki globe in his hand casting eerie lighting over the small cave they'd surfaced in. Kakarott eagerly climbed up onto the damp rocks, glad to be out of the water. 

"Wow, how is this possible?" Kuririn asked. "We're underwater. Shouldn't this be all full of water too?" 

"No, the water has trapped a pocket of air here. You see, air has mass, just like water, and like everything else in the world, so the water can't compress it any more," Bra said authoritatively. 

Kuririn blinked. "Okay, I'll just take your word for it," He said. 

Bra scowled. "I knew I should have brought my pouches. I thought the dragonball would be sitting on the seabed, not in some weird cave." 

Kakarott created his own spherical Ki light, and pushed carefully past Kuririn and Bra. "I think there's more tunnel here," He said, finding himself very curious. 

"Well then, lets not waste anymore time!" Bra declared. "Kakarott, you take point, and Kuririn can bring up the rear, since I don't have a light and I don't want to trip on anything. Move out!" 

"Yes ma'am!" Kuririn said, eyeing the wet clothing clinging to her body. He sighed, glad he was behind her so she couldn't see him ogling her. 

The small party, already in position, proceeded forward. The corridor continued up with a gradual slope, and then down again and started to widen. The air was moist and cloying and chilly, and Kuririn began using his Ki to heat the air when Bra began to shiver visibly. The entire journey only took a few minutes before they reached a fork. Bra glanced at her amulet. 

"Okay, I think the dragonball is this way," She said, pointing to the right. 

"But what's that way?" Kakarott asked, pointing to the left passage. 

"Who cares?" Bra snapped. 

"Can't we take a quick look?" Kakarott asked. 

"Sure you can," Bra said, "as long as Kuririn stays with me." 

Kakarott looked at Kuririn, who nodded acceptance of the terms. Kakarott flashed him a smile then started briskly down the left hand corridor. After about a minute of walking he found himself staring at a large lake that barred his way. It didn't appear to have a shallow area - the floor of the lake had simply dropped out. 

"I wonder if this is a way out," Kakarott mused, trying to remember what the water he'd crawled out of earlier had looked like. "I guess it can't hurt to look!" He decided, checking the cape. It was secure, so he jumped in. 

The water was surprisingly warm. The Saiyan created a small Ki ball in his hand for light and began to venture down, looking for an underwater tunnel. Kakarott yelped in surprise as something smooth brushed his leg. He jerked around, and almost exploded his Ki sphere as the water impeded his movements, momentarily confusing him. Calming down, he looked around quickly in case it was some sort of horrible creature. Instead, he found himself admiring an incredibly bright pink plant made almost entirely of vine-like appendages that had begun to move due to his own motion. 

Something curled around his knee. 

Kakarott screamed, a cry of surprise that quickly changed to anger as he reminded himself not to be scared. Kicking upwards with his legs, he turned to peer over his shoulder, increasing the size, and therefore illumination, from his Ki ball. He regarded sternly the red and white stripped thin** thing** that was hugging his leg, straining against his kicking. The **thing** tightened its grip and suddenly the skin underneath it's grasp began to burn. 

With a cry of pain Kakarott launched a Ki blast at the thing, aiming beneath himself. The blast exploded, breaking the **thing** into two bits. Grasping the bit still attached to his leg he quickly yanked it off, gritting his teeth. Throwing the piece away - he still wasn't sure whether it was a plant or some type of animal - he examined his knee. The skin was red and blistered and ached in the salty water. 

Kakarott noticed two more of the vine creatures coming upwards, weaving towards him. Ignoring the pain, he swam past them and forward, pushing his Ki ball in front to light his passage. A few more **things** reared their ends and where blasted into an incredibly fast retreat. Finally Kakarott ran into another rock face. Looking up he was surprised to see a light that didn't come from his Ki. Wondering what could possibly be causing it, he swam upwards, quietly breaking the water's surface and letting his Ki light fade away. 

"But we aren't after your treasure!" Bra's screams immediately drew his attention. Kakarott grabbed the edge of the rock and pulled himself halfway out of the water and looked around. He was in a lake in the corner of a large cavern **filled** with treasure - gold coins, gold objects, gems, jewelry. Flickering torches illuminated the room, glinting off the gathered loot and leaving deep shadows to hang around the edges of the cavern. The object in the center was what drew Kakarott's attention. 

There, atop a marble column, on a red velvet pillow, sat the dragonball. 

"Fools! All intruders to this place must be killed!" 

Kakarott's head jerked towards the noise. Six muscular, pale figures were slowly striding towards Kuririn and Bra, who were standing in the mouth of a cave. 

"Hey, don't come any closer!" Kuririn yelled, stepping forward and settling into a defensive stance. 

"Yeah, or he'll kick your asses!" Bra waved a fist menacingly. 

Kakarott quietly pulled himself the rest of the way out of the water and snuck forward as the figures laughed. He was pleased to find that his knee was only painful, not wounded in a way that would hamper him. 

"We're guarding this treasure till our Captain returns!" One of the figures declared. 

"Who the hell are you, anyway? I didn't know anyone was living near Kame Island," Kuririn asked. Kakarott could sense him powering up. The Saiyan continued his careful approach, quietly climbing over the loosely piled riches. 

"Oh, nobody's **living** near your Island," One of the pirates sneered. 

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! You're ghosts!" Bra screamed, backing up further. 

"Smart little lady," The pirate nodded. 

Kakarott's foot slipped and he crashed to his good knee. The pirates turned. 

"Hey! Thief!" One of them yelled. 

Four of them immediately turned and charged him. Kakarott jumped back to his feet and shouted a battle cry, lunging towards one of them. Kakarott ducked the sweep of a ghostly scimitar, then launched a fist into the stomach of the pirate. 

The fist went through him. 

As did Kakarott's arm, and finally the boy himself as his momentum carried him forward. Kakarott landed flat on his face and quickly rolled to the side, just missing being skewered. 

A second pirate sent a kick at the Saiyan's chin as he started to get up. The kick landed very solidly indeed, and sent Kakarott staggering backwards. 

Kakarott narrowed his eyes and wiped the blood off his face. The pirates began to attack in earnest, and he used all his training to avoid the blows of four fanatical attackers. 

"Shimatta! I can't win if I'm not attacking," Kakarott muttered to himself. He shot a Ki blast a one of them, but it went through and the ghost laughed mockingly. 

Another pirate punched at his face and Kakarott instinctively brought up an arm to guard. For an instant, he guarded successfully, then the pirate's fist went through his arm and Kakarott leapt sideways, carefully dodging a sword swing as he passed through one of the other pirates. 

He didn't see the third pirate until it was almost too late to dodge the sword blow. Kakarott wound up with a slice across his upper arm instead of a quick amputation job, and he snarled at the pirate. 

"Ha ha ha!" The pirate chortled. "The living are no danger to us! We can hit you, but your bodies pass right through us!" 

Kakarott narrowed his eyes, then dropped his hands. "Yeah, I guess you're right," He said dejectedly, noting Kuririn and Bra dodging blows from the other two pirates out of the corner of his eye. 

"Ha ha ha!" The pirate laughed again. "Dieeeeeeeeeeee!" 

With a scream the ghost lunged at Kakarott, his scimitar jabbing forward. Kakarott threw himself to the side at the last possible moment, simultaneously releasing a stream of Ki from one hand. The ghost screamed as he looked in horror at the hole in his chest. The other five pirates paused in their attack, looking on in shock. The ghost screamed once more as it dissipated, fizzling away into nothing. 

Kakarott grinned and ran at a second pirate. The ghost growled and swung his sword. Kakarott twisted, smashing a fist into the pirate's hand just as the blow was about to hit him. It connected. The scimitar left the ghost's hand and disappeared. 

"You little thief!" The pirate yelled. The scimitar faded, but to Kakarott's surprise the ghost pulled it out of his sheath and sneered. 

"You can't disarm a ghost!" It yelled. 

"Kuririn! Attack as they're about to hit you! They go solid for a moment!" Kakarott shouted. 

"What?" Kuririn shouted, busily jumping over a kick. Frowning, the boy created a small Kienzen attack, then waited for his kick-happy opponent to make another move. The pirate ghost launched a roundhouse kick at the boy's head, and was shocked to find his head half sliced off. The ghost screamed and faded away. 

"All right!" Kuririn whooped. "Hey! Stop picking on girls!" He yelled at the pirate trying to take Bra's head off. The ghost turned and lunged at Kuririn, trying to run him through, but Kuririn was expecting an attack and jumped over it. The follow-up punch, however, sent him staggering backwards. Growling, he dodged another sword swipe, letting lose with a Ki blast that went through the ghost. 

Laughing maniacally, the ghost took another swipe at him, only to collapse forward onto it's face as Bra smashed a gold goblet into the back of it's head. 

"Ha!" She yelled triumphantly. "Don't you ever make comments about my clothes again!" 

"Yes ma'am!" Kuririn yelled immediately. 

"Huh?" Bra looked at him bewildered. Kuririn coloured as he realized she had been speaking to the ghost, and the boy gave himself a mental kick. 

"Gotta help Kakarott!" Kuririn said quickly, and raced off towards the Saiyan. 

Kakarott was down to two pirates, but they had wised up to his tactics and were only attacking with their swords, feigning attacks and trading off between them to keep him from hitting at the crucial moment. 

Snarling, the Saiyan dodged another sword blow, his retaliating Ki blast coming a bit too late to connect. Kakarott sidestepped an attack from behind, and was pleasantly surprised to hear the pirate scream in anguish as a Kienzen passed him. He turned to watch it disintegrate, throwing a grin to Kuririn. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the remaining ghost ready a desperate last attack. 

With a cry the pirate lunged. Kakarott yelled his own battle cry, jumping forward. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the scimitar come closer, and at the last moment Kakarott used his flight technique to move himself just right of the blade, lifting his arm upwards so the sword would pass between them, and free hand he sent a Ki blast at the ghost's head. 

Without a cry the ghost vanished. 

"Ha!" Kakarott yelled. 

"Good riddance," Bra scowled. "What stupid things! They're dead so why are they still protecting their stupid treasure?" 

"Stupid it may be, but treasure it still is," Kuririn said happily, inspecting several gold coins before shoving them in his gi and going back for more. 

"Whatever," Bra sniffed. She walked over to the pillar and inspected the dragonball. "Hmm, these things seem to be more and more trouble every year." 

"How many years have you been after them?" Kakarott asked, walking up beside her. 

"Well, this is the second year, but last time I had three before I started running into problems and weirdos," Bra mused. 

She picked up the dragonball. 

The cave shuddered. 

"What the hell was that?" Bra shrieked. 

There was a low rumble, and the cavern began shaking. Small pebbles dropped from the ceiling, then larger rocks. 

"I think the cave is collapsing!" Kuririn yelled. 

"Oh my Kami!! Kuso!" Bra swore. "We've gotta move it!" 

She took one step towards the entrance then stopped. "Oh no! The labyrinth! We'll never get out in time! We're doomed! I'm gonna be buried alive! My parents will never forgive me! Damn it! I'm too pretty to die so young!" 

"Um, Bra? We can get out this way!" Kakarott ignored her tirade, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards the watery tunnel he'd come through. Kuririn dodged several falling rocks as he made his way after them. Kakarott pushed Bra into the narrow watery opening and was about to follow when there was a huge roar. 

The trio turned to see the entrance to the labyrinth completely full of boulders. The shaking stopped. 

"Huh? Is that it?" Bra asked, looking around. 

"Gosh, I'm glad we didn't try and get out that way," Kuririn said. 

"I guess they didn't know about the underwater tunnel," Kakarott said. 

"They got that booby trap for the dragonball rigged up in a year?" Bra said angrily. "I don't believe it." 

"Maybe they knew how special dragonballs are," Kuririn scratched his eyebrow. 

"Hmph," Bra snorted. "Okay, Kakarott. This puddle here is a tunnel, huh?" 

"That's right," Kakarott nodded. 

"Good. Let's go," Bra said, grabbing the edge to push herself down. 

"But we haven't looted yet!" Kuririn protested. 

"And my cape has a tear in it," Kakarott said. 

Bra sighed and began to pull herself out of the water. "Kuririn, you have until I fix his cape."   
  


Bra didn't actually leave until the next day. It was early morning, the sun still low on the horizon as Kamesennin, his turtle, and the boys saw her off. 

"Are you** sure** you won't come?" Bra asked one more time. "What if I run into more idiots who are trying to kill me? I'll need two brave warriors!" 

"Sorry, Bra, but you'll have you use your lightning wand," Kakarott said. "Kuririn and I have been training for this tournament for almost a year now." 

"Yeah, we have to go and show them how good we are," Kuririn nodded. 

"Fine, but if I die, I'm coming back to haunt you," Bra said crossly. 

"Oh no!" Kakarott made a face. 

"Are you mocking me?" Bra rounded on him. 

"No, I'm really scared!" Kakarott said, holding both of his hands up in a gesture of peace. 

"Sure you are," Bra scowled. "Well then. Good luck, I suppose." 

"Hey Bra?" Kuririn stepped forward. 

"What?" She asked. 

"Can I, um, have a scarf or something of yours?" Kuririn said, blushing slightly. 

"Huh? You want to fight wearing my colours?" Bra giggled. 

"Yeah," Kuririn said, going a brighter shade of red. 

"Okay," She smiled, reaching into a pouch. She pulled out a light blue piece of shiny cloth. "Here you are!" She said, tucking it into his gi. 

"Th..thanks!" He stuttered. 

"Hmm, maybe I'll invite you guys to my wedding. It won't be for a few more years, of course, he he," Bra laughed, all smiles. 

"Good hunting, Bra," Kamesennin bid her. 

"Thanks, old man," Bra waved, then vaulted onto her table. 

"Hmph," Kamesennin snorted. 

"Bye, Bra!" Kakarott called, waving as the table took off and began it's careful voyage back across the sea. 

"Bye, Bra!" Kuririn joined him. 

"Bye guys!" Bra yelled back. 

The boys would have watched until she was out of sight, but Kamesennin called them to their exercises.   
  


Two days later, Kakarott and Kuririn returned from hunting to find they had some more visitors. Vegeta and Radditz stood on the beach, watching the two come in, while Kamesennin stood behind them, visibly annoyed. 

"Well, Kakarott, your fight seems to be taking quite some time," Vegeta greeted them. 

"Um, hi, Vegeta-sama. Hi, Radditz," Kakarott said, dropping the fish he was carrying onto the beach. 

"Do you have **any** idea how long it's taken us to track you down?" Radditz asked crossly. 

"Where does your little bitch friend live?" Vegeta asked before Kakarott could answer. He held up Bra's old amulet. "This doesn't seem to be working." 

"I don't know where Bra lives," Kakarott shrugged. 

Vegeta growled. "You don't even know what kingdom she's from?" 

"Oh, she's from Capsule Kingdom," Kakarott said. 

"Figures. Meddling sorcerers. The one kingdom Father thinks it's worth **not** agitating," Vegeta grumbled. "Still, did she just give up on her quest? She's not at all interested in getting this back?" He bounced the amulet on it's cord. 

Kakarott and Kuririn exchanged glances. 

"What?" Vegeta demanded, noticing them. 

"Bra made a new amulet, Vegeta-sama," Kakarott sighed. "You missed her, she came by two days ago." 

"WHAT?!" 

"There was a dragonball underwater near the island," Kuririn said. 

"That bitch tricked me!" Vegeta roared. 

"I'd say so, young Prince," Kamesennin interrupted. "But there's not much point getting so worked up about it." 

Vegeta spun around and sent a Ki blast at Kamesennin's head. The old hermit knocked it aside easily. 

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Vegeta snapped. 

"I'm Kamesennin," He introduced himself. 

"Hmph," Vegeta blinked, somewhat surprised that the old geezer was a living legend. An old living legend. "Well, come on, Kakarott." 

"Where?" The younger boy asked. 

"We're going to track down that girl," Vegeta declared hotly. 

"What about the tournament?" Kakarott complained. 

"Tournament?" Vegeta snarled. 

"The Island tournament. It's on every five years on the islands south of here. Kuririn and I were going to participate," Kakarott explained. 

"Yeah, the dragonballs can be used every year, but this fight only comes once every five," Kuririn pointed out. 

"Every year?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow. He subsided a bit, his fist leaning against his chin as he thought. "Fine," He declared. "We'll fight in the tournament, then go after her." 

"**We**?" Kamesennin asked. 

"Of course. I'm going to fight in the tournament as well," Vegeta sneered. 

"Great," Kamesennin sighed. "Well, you made it in good time. We're leaving for the islands tomorrow."   


**- Finis Chapter 5 -**   
Please take two seconds from your life to bring a spark of joy into mine: review! :) 


	6. "First Rounds! The Island Tournament beg...

**Legends of Kakarott**

Author's Note:   
Note on the Saiyajin Empire: The land it covers is mostly very dry and dusty, but not sandy, and contains no surface bodies of water. As such, it is semi-arid desert. It does have a lot of scrubby plant life, to support the dinosaurs the Saiyajin eat. ^_^ 

I have no idea what the names of Bojack's warriors are, so I made them up: Dia (the girl), Spade (guy with beard), Eratsu (guy with sword) and Lubu (guy with turban). 

**Chapter Six: First Rounds! The Island Tournament begins!**

Warning: Violence, Language 

  
Papaya Island is a beautiful place. The sun shines most of the year, the temperature varies between just too hot and pleasantly warm, and the sky is always an incredible blue colour. Kakarott examined one of the strange palm trees that grew there while Master Roshi and Vegeta spoke to a short man who claimed to be the Tournament organizer. Like the other Papaya Islanders that they had seen since arriving, the man had dark green-blue skin and fiery coloured hair. 

"Wow, this place looks really nice," Kuririn said, glancing around. 

"Too much water," Radditz said, glancing off towards the beach which was still visible in the distance. 

"Heh," Kuririn grinned, remembering how long it had taken Kakarott to get used to the ocean - and he still occasionally got freaked out by it. 

Radditz snarled silently at him, then turned to Kakarott. "So, what **have** you been doing? Father thinks you've gotten lost again. I think we should just declare you dead and kill you if you accidentally wander back," Radditz said, folding his arms over his chest as he stared hard at his brother. 

"**If** you can kill me," Kakarott said, standing straighter. "I've been training with Master Roshi!" 

"Why would someone notorious for holding the Saiyan Empire within it's borders **train** a Saiyan?" Radditz asked, his eyes narrowing. 

"I don't know," Kakarott shrugged. 

"One **might** suspect some kind of treason," Radditz drawled. 

"What?!" Kakarott growled, glaring up at the taller Saiyan. "I'm **not** a traitor!" 

"That remains to be seen, little brother. Lucky for you, Father and the King have decided that since you tend to be a bit slow, you might just have gotten temporarily led astray," Radditz sneered. 

"Wow, you guys are really paranoid, aren't you?" Kuririn commented. 

"What?" Radditz blinked. 

"You think your brother is a traitor because he didn't come home?" Kuririn raised an eyebrow. 

Radditz stared at him. 

"Radditz is just trying to annoy Kakarott," Vegeta said, walking up to the group. "Although it **is** unusual for a Saiyan to wander around outside of the Empire. Most of the ones that do that are exiled - by my Father or by themselves," Vegeta shot Kakarott a meaningful look. "Kakarott had better be careful people don't consider him in the second category." 

"Are we in the tournament?" Kuririn asked Kamesennin. 

The old man nodded his head. "Yep, all four of you." 

"Aren't you participating?" Kakarott asked. 

"Nope. That's for young, spry idiots," Kamesennin grinned. "Now, the first fights are tomorrow. Don't go sparring with anyone you don't know. If you get beat up today, you'll be in bad shape tomorrow. Be polite to the natives. If you need me, I'll be on the beach," He chuckled, and eyed a passing Island girl. (They wear skimpy tops and often show a lot of leg. They hang out on beaches. ^_^) 

"Whatever," Vegeta sneered. They watched him set off for the beach at a casual shuffle. "It's hard to believe he is who he says he is," Vegeta snorted. "I think I'll have to fight him before we leave to make sure." 

"He's got a high Ki, he just doesn't power up much," Kakarott said. "Come on, Kuririn. Let's go train for tomorrow!"   
  


"Didn't you bring your armour?" Radditz asked his brother as they gathered the next morning with the other fighters and spectators at the Tournament Arena. The group of five selected a nice spot with two palm trees to sit by for the day. 

"No," Kakarott shook his head. 

"So you're just fighting in that orange thing?" Radditz guessed disapprovingly. 

"What's wrong with it?" Kuririn asked, eyeing his own gi, identical to Kakarott's. 

"It's not Saiyan," Radditz pointed out. 

"My armour's broken anyway," Kakarott shrugged. 

"Doesn't that belt get in the way of your tail?" Radditz asked. 

"A little bit," Kakarott conceded, "but I've gotten used to it." 

Radditz opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a loud gong. 

"Good morning everyone! Welcome to the 35th Island Tournament! This great tournament is an incredible tradition which is finally attracting fighters from outside the island kingdoms! That's right folks, we have quite a few Mainlanders among this year's competitors!" The announcer for the tournament leant over the railing of the small tower he was standing in. The wooden tower's floor was at head height on a tall man, and had a small roof to protect the announcer from the harsh sun. It was located beside the ground marked as the fighting ring. Beside it sat a large gong, and a burly man with a mallet. 

"The matches have been decided, but before we begin the first one, here are the rules! First! You win by knocking your opponent down for a count of ten, by knocking them completely out of the ring, or by getting them to surrender! Second! Killing spectators or damaging my tower will get you an immediate disqualification! Third! Interference from someone not in the match will result in the disqualification of both opponents! That means anything physical, and any mental or Ki attacks! Fourth! Killing your opponent will get you disqualified with only one exception! The last competitor will fight last year's champion, and that's the only match where death of a fighter won't disqualify the winner!" The announcer continued yelling, pausing only to take a sip of liquid from half a coconut that was resting on the rail beside him. 

"And now, to announce the first match, his Majesty, King Bojack of Papaya Island!" The announcer yelled. The crowd of Islanders began to cheer as the burly man banged the gong again. 

Vegeta sneered from where he stood leaning on a palm tree. Kuririn clapped politely, earning a sharp glance from the Saiyan Prince. 

A tall man stepped up beside the tower. His orange hair was held back by a pale bandana that highlighted his pointed ears. His clothes were baggy and colourful and reminded Kakarott of the pirate ghosts he had fought earlier. Several pieces of gold jewelry glittered against his blue-green skin. 

"I am King Bojack," He declared in a voice that easily carried across the ring. "Welcome to my tournament. There are 20 competitors this year. Their names will be read in pairs, in the order of the matches." 

"Only twenty competitors?" Radditz asked, surprised. 

"**This** is their lauded tournament? The Saiyajin Budokai always has hundreds of competitors," Vegeta sneered. 

"Oh, back in my days the Island Tournament was much larger. About eleven or twelve years ago most of the great fighters in the Islands were hunted down by someone and killed off. Bojack won that tournament and declared himself king. He won last time too, since the only other opponents were his loyal fighters," Kamesennin said, glancing meaningfully at the Saiyan Prince. 

"He killed them?" Vegeta guessed. 

"Did I say that?" Kamesennin asked, leaning on his staff. "No one knows who killed off those fighters, and those that speculate do so quietly." 

"First rounds are Captain Gem versus Kakarott! Saltsu versus Dia! Kuririn versus Pepa! Yellow Shogun versus Garlick! Kiwi versus Thyme! Chives versus Radditz! Jackie Chun versus Spade! Lubu versus Cinamon! And Spider Girl versus Prince Vegeta, of the Saiyan Empire!" Bojack called out the matches. "The final competitor is Eratsu, but he will not fight in the first round." 

Vegeta smirked. "He got the introductions right." 

"He hasn't already met with you?" Kamesennin asked. "I would have thought he would want to meet you." 

Vegeta shrugged. "Perhaps he wants to see me fight first, or he's not interested. Either way, I don't care." 

"Will Kakarott and Captain Gem please enter the ring!" The announcer boomed. 

"Hey, Kakarott! Look at that guy!" Kuririn pointed to the pale pirate entering the ring. "He looks just like those guys we fought in the cave." 

"Yeah, maybe he's a ghost too," Kakarott said. 

"Ghost?" Radditz asked. 

"We'll tell you about it later," Kakarott informed him, hurrying over to the ring.   
  


Kakarott fell into a defensive stance on his side of the ring and eyed his opponent. The Captain was indeed very pale, and wore washed out clothes that might once have been much more vibrant. 

"Fighters! Ready! Begin!" The announcer shouted. The crowd roared once, and then fell silent. 

"Heh, they put me up against a little boy?" Captain Gem sneered. 

"Eh, I got put against a dead guy, so you shouldn't complain," Kakarott said, watching him. Gem blinked once, then shook his head. Kakarott yelled a battle cry and charged forward, swinging a punch at Gem's jaw. He wasn't surprised when it went through, or when he followed it through the pirate. Instead he half-turned, landing side on to him, and sent a sharp kick through the Captain's midsection. 

Gem turned around sneering. "Ha! Nice try, kiddo!" 

"I'm just getting warmed up," Kakarott replied, a glint in his eyes. 

"Ho ho! You can't beat me! You'll never land a blow!" Gem smirked, then spun around, using his momentum to launch a fierce kick at Kakarott's head. The small Saiyan moved at the last moment, blocking the blow for the instant the Captain's leg was solid. 

"WHAT?! How the hell...?! You're so lucky, kid!" Gem snarled. "That's **my** warm up - prepare to get it!" 

The ghost lunged forward, sending a fast punch at his opponent's head. Kakarott tensed, ducking an instant before it hit and driving an elbow **hard** into the pirate's gut. Gem doubled up as Kakarott danced back, keeping a careful eye on the ring line behind him. 

"Gee, I guess you're not very hot, huh?" The Saiyan smirked. 

"Uuuuurr," Gem groaned. "That's impossible. There's no way you can touch me." 

"Well, I've fought people like you before. You're the Captain those ghosts in the cave were talking about, right?" Kakarott asked. 

"What?!" Gem stared at him. 

"You know, the cave with all that gold and stuff in it," Kakarott said, then dropped his voice to a low whisper, "and the dragonball." 

"You... you fought my men? And lived?!" Gem gasped. 

"Yeah, it's not that hard when you know how to. You and your men are pretty weak fighters," Kakarott cocked his head, bringing a hand up behind it. 

"Weak? How dare you! I don't believe you could defeat my men!" Gem roared, leaping into the air. With a battle cry he descended, clasping both hands together and bringing them down towards Kakarott's head. The Saiyan promptly spun to the side, completing his 360-degree turn with a kick that impacted on the slower pirate's back and sent him half-flying, half-staggering forward. 

Kakarott was turned around by the time he got his balance. "You're too slow," The Saiyan grinned at him. 

"Out!" The announcer screamed. "The match goes to Kakarott!" 

"WHAT?!" Gem roared as the gong sounded. Kakarott pointed down, and the pirate's gaze dropped accordingly to see the ring line quite prominently between himself and the Saiyan. Gem made a growling noise. 

"Maybe you should go back and guard your treasure," Kakarott said. 

"Huh?" Gem looked up at him. "You really did defeat them, didn't you?" 

"Yes," Kakarott nodded. "They all disappeared." 

"They passed on, hmm? Fine then. You can have the treasure, and the curse of guarding it!" Gem snarled. The ghostly Captain glared at him for another moment, then faded away. 

Kakarott blinked, then staggered forward as Kuririn slapped him hard on the back. "You won!" Kuririn yelled triumphantly. 

"Yep," Kakarott grinned. 

"Please clear the ring for the next match!" The announcer called down to them. The two boys quickly scurried back over to Roshi and the Saiyans as the next two combatants moved into position.   
  


The second match went to the woman named Dia so quickly that Kakarott had barely been able to give Vegeta and Radditz a quick version of the story in the caves before Kuririn's match came up. The short boy walked into the ring and waited. A few moments later a young Island woman entered the ring doing a series of forward flips. She finished easily and slid into a ready position, her orange ponytails bouncing up and down in the aftermath of her acrobatics. 

"Oh great, I'm supposed to beat up a pretty girl?" Kuririn muttered, then frowned, assuming his own stance. 

"Ha! I'm Pepa! I'm going to wipe your face through the dust!" She called, ponytails bobbing as a faint breeze picked up. 

"Fighters! Ready! Begin!" The announcer yelled. 

For a moment neither moved, then Kuririn charged her, throwing a punch at her stomach. The shapely girl jumped over it easily and landed on her hands, balancing while one leg fell forward and the other fell backwards. While Kuririn watched, not sure what was happening, she began twirling herself around on her hands, whamming a leg into the side of his head. Kuririn found himself on the ground several feet away. He watched as Pepa 'jumped' off her hands and landed easily on her feet, then flew into a cartwheel - her feet aimed at his head. 

"Yipe!" He yelped, rolling frantically aside. Scrambling to his feet the boy launched himself at his opponent in a flying kick, hoping to strike before she moved into her next attack. 

Pepa side-stepped and grabbed his ankle. She kept her grip on it, using Kuririn's momentum to set both of them spinning before she released him. Kuririn noticed spectators passing underneath and quickly focussed his Ki to keep him in the air. He righted himself and sped back to the fighting ring, touching down well inside the marks. 

"Not out!" The announcer yelled. 

"Good save, Kuririn!" Kamesennin shouted from the side. 

"Yeah!" Kakarott nodded enthusiastically. 

Pepa looked annoyed, and the two combatants began to circle warily. 

Kuririn wondered vaguely if she thought he was cute, but decided not to ask. The expression on her face was all business. 

Pepa gritted her teeth and with a yell she leapt into a forward flip, landing very close to Kuririn. Quickly he lunged forward with a punch, but Pepa was already moving. Her body arched backwards in a reverse flip, and her legs swung up towards his chin. 

With a yelp Kuririn shot into the air faster then she was kicking, narrowly avoiding being hit. Thinking quickly, the short warrior shot past Pepa, dropping down behind her as she landed and ducking as he swept a kick hard into her ankles. As she staggered to maintain her balance Kuririn straightened and elbowed her in the kidneys before jumping back to avoid any counterattacks. 

"Oooooooo," Pepa groaned, and hand on her back. "How am I supposed to fight someone so small? You're so short, I can't use my best attacks!" 

"Has anyone ever told you that your hair is really cute?" Kuririn asked. 

"And he hasn't even grown up yet!" Pepa snarled, giving the small of her back a good rub before tucking herself up and somersaulting towards her adversary. 

Kuririn tensed, not sure what to expect. As she came out of her somersault Pepa stayed low, lashing out with a low, sweeping kick. Kuririn jumped over it, only to come down on an uppercut and go flying back several feet. He landed with a thud, and caught a glimpse of Pepa cartwheeling his way... 

Thinking so fast he could barely follow himself, he levitated while prone and flew straight at her, striking her supporting arms with his feet. Pepa shrieked as she fell ungracefully onto Kuririn, knocking him back onto the ground. 

Kuririn found himself grinning. 

Pepa was off him like a shot. She shook her hands for a moment then glared over at the boy who was just struggling to his feet. 

"Now we get serious!" Pepa shouted. "Hi-ya!" She screamed, darting forward and swinging a punch at his head. Kuririn blocked it, and proceeded to exchange a series of quick blows with her, each person easily blocking the other's attacks. 

Suddenly Pepa launched into a backflip. Kuririn sped into the air again, narrowly missing a sharp kick. 

"Damn," Kuririn muttered to himself. "I don't think I can take too many more of those kicks." 

Gathering his energy, Kuririn fired a Ki blast at her. 

"Ki no Tsurugi!" Pepa screamed. In an instant a long, narrow beam of Ki extended from her fist, and she swung it at the Ki blast, knocking the blast aside. 

"What?!" Kuririn yelped. "A Ki **sword**?" 

Pepa screamed a battle cry and leapt into the air, levitating easily for a moment before speeding towards him, 'blade' ready. 

"Shit!" Kuririn swore. "She flies!" He quickly began to fly upwards, keeping the distance as he prepared for another attack. The short boy brought his hands behind him and cupped them, then began to power up. 

"Kame-hame-ha!" Kuririn shouted, bringing his hands around to the front and releasing a large torrent of energy at his opponent. 

Pepa gasped as the beam caught her directly, slowed her flight, then gravity and the beam's force smashed her to the ground. 

Kuririn landed a small distance to the dissipating dust cloud. 

"What the hell was that?" Vegeta snapped to Kakarott as the announcer started to count to ten. 

"The Kamehameha! Master Roshi's technique. It's my favourite," Kakarott told him. 

"You haven't heard about it?" Kamesennin asked the Prince. "I used to use it quite a bit." 

"What changed?" Vegeta sneered at him. 

"A great force divided cannot fight," Kamesennin said cryptically, before indicating to them to turn their attention back to the fight. 

Pepa had staggered to her feet, coughing once or twice. She made a rude gesture to the announcer, although he had already stopped counting. Blood trickled from various scratches on her bare skin. 

"Come on, lady, I don't want to hit you more," Kuririn said. 

"Don't pander me," Pepa snarled. "I'm not out yet!" 

"Oh well," Kuririn sighed to himself. "I warned you," He told her, before crying out as he raised his power into a flickering aura and sped towards her. Before Pepa could move, Kuririn landed a fierce uppercut on her jaw, knocking her off her feet and backwards. 

Dropping the aura, Kuririn waited, perspiring. The announcer began his count down again. 

"Eight... Nine... Ten! Out! Match to Kuririn!" The announcer screamed. The gong sounded over the cheers of the assembled crowd. 

"Yes!" Kuririn yelled, jumping up in excitement. Smiling broadly he made his way back over to the sidelines to watch the matches with the others.   
  


Several hours later, while watching Radditz exchange blows with his opponent, a rotund Islander called Chives, a strange man with pale purple skin approached the assorted group. He had no hair, and wore pale white armour similar to Saiyajin armour, although he had a full length white cape as well. Ignoring Kamesennin and Kuririn, he cast a quick look at Kakarott before marching up to stand near Vegeta. 

"Prince Vegeta of the Saiyajin. A bit far from home, aren't you?" He asked in a monotone. 

"Not as far as you, apparently," Vegeta remarked coolly. 

"I didn't know the Saiyajin had heard of this tournament," The pale man commented. 

"So go report it or something," Vegeta said dismissively. 

"I shall indeed. I'd say King Cold would find it an interesting tidbit," The man sniffed. 

"Whatever, icicle face," Vegeta insulted him offhandedly. 

Kuririn nudged Kakarott. "Who is that?" 

"Somebody from the Cold Empire, I guess," Kakarott shrugged. 

"Does he know Prince Vegeta?" Kuririn whispered. 

"I don't know, I've never seen him before this tournament," Kakarott murmured back, remembering how the man easily won his match. "His cape means he has some sort of rank, though." 

"I do hope to be matched against you later. My name is Kiwi. Please don't forget it," The pale man said, his cape flaring as he turned. 

"As if I'd bother remembering the name of a Coldie" Vegeta said loudly to the man's departing figure. 

"'Coldie'?" Kuririn asked Kakarott. 

"What do you call people from the Cold Empire?" Kakarott asked curiously. 

"Um, 'people from the Cold Empire'?" Kuririn answered. 

"'Coldies' is what most Saiyans call them," Kakarott said, "or 'Icicles' or something like that." 

"What are they really called?" Kuririn asked. 

"I don't know," Kakarott shrugged. 

Kuririn nodded absently as he watched Kiwi stride off.   
  


Later that evening, the five Mainlanders sat around a small fire where they had elected to make camp and discussed the day's matches. There had only been nine fights, since Island tradition dictated that the first match of a round couldn't take place on the same day as the last from from a previous match. If the Tournament had been as large and Kamesennin remembered them, the first round matches would have gone on for at least a few days. 

"So where did you disappear to during that fight with that Jackie Chun guy?" Kuririn drilled Kamesennin. 

"The beach," The old man answered without missing a beat. "You should come too, Kuririn." 

"Why? He got a perfectly good look at the local girls during his fight," Radditz smirked. 

Kuririn felt his face warm. "Hey, I didn't do anything improper!" Kuririn protested. 

Radditz chuckled. "Sure, kid." 

"Don't call me 'kid'. I'm eighteen," Kuririn scowled. 

"You too?" Radditz looked shocked. "I'm surrounded by short eighteen-year-olds." 

A Ki ball flickered into existence in Vegeta's hand and launched itself at the tall Saiyan without missing a beat. Radditz yelled, raising his power level to defend against it, but another blast knocked it off course. 

"No Ki blasting near the fire," Kamesennin remarked mildly. 

"At least today's fights cleared out most of the rabble," Vegeta declared, putting the last conversation behind them all after giving Radditz a scathing glare. "Tomorrow should be much more interesting." 

"I liked Jackie Chun's fight," Kakarott said. 

"It was the only decent one," Vegeta said, not quite agreeing with the younger Saiyan. Vegeta turned to Kamesennin. "I have heard stories of you using a super-powerful blast against your enemies. Is it that Kamehameha attack baldy there used?" 

"Hey! I have a name," Kuririn protested. 

Vegeta shot him a sharp 'shut-up, pitiful Human' look. 

"That would be it," Kamesennin nodded. 

"It didn't seem to be that powerful," Vegeta folded his arms. 

"How powerful it comes out depends on several factors," Kamesennin said noncommittally. 

"How come it has a funny name?" Radditz asked. 

"Some warriors name special techniques they develop," Kamesennin said, resigning himself to answering questions. 'Baby-sitting Saiyans isn't how I planned spending any of my retirement,' He grumbled mentally to himself. 

The old man continued out loud, "So that when someone uses that name, other people will know what technique they're talking about. If you Saiyajin got your act together you'd probably have hundreds of different ones. Then again, it probably doesn't matter since Saiyajin don't teach each other their special moves." 

"Hmph, why let someone else know a technique that might mean the difference between your victory and defeat?" Vegeta snapped, glaring distrustfully at the old Master. Kakarott looked slightly troubled. 

"I could list several reasons, but I doubt you'd consider them worthwhile. Continue calling whatever attacks you come up with 'Prince Vegeta's Special Attacks One, Two and Three'," Roshi said, adjusting his sunglasses. 

"Why are you acting so damn polite?" Vegeta growled. "I thought you killed Saiyajin for a living." 

"Used to," Kamesennin admitted. 

"Well?" Vegeta exclaimed. 

"Old men need their rest. I'm going to sleep, and you all should too," Came the reply. Glancing at the fire, Kamesennin gestured with a hand and abruptly the fire began to die down. Several minutes later, when Vegeta had finished growling, the four young warriors found their own places and went to sleep in anticipation of tomorrow's fights.   
  


Bright and early the next morning everyone was gathered once again at the Tournament arena. Kakarott and Kuririn did some warm up stretches while Vegeta made snide comments about the group of Island women demonstrating a local dance in the ring while Radditz watched with mild interest, pretending all the while to agree with whatever Vegeta was saying. Kamesennin had elected to visit the beach again that morning. 

As they finished the announcer began his welcome. 

"Good morning fighters! And to everyone who came along to watch the second rounds of the 35th Island Tournament! We have more great action today! First match is Jackie Chun - who yesterday defeated one of Papaya's champion fighters - against Lubu, who no doubt wants to beat the man who defeated his comrade! Then, two Saiyajin warriors! Radditz against Kakarott!" 

"What?" Radditz coughed, straightening. 

"I have to fight him?" Kakarott asked. 

"**Do not** start with any family nonsense," Vegeta commanded. "You two make me sick enough as it is." 

"The beautiful Dia of Papaya Island will then fight Kuririn from Kame Island!" The announcer was continuing. 

"**Another** pretty Island girl," Radditz smirked at Kuririn. The boy glared back at him. 

"Followed by Kiwi of the Cold Empire fighting Eratsu of Papaya Island!" The announcer shouted. "And finally, the Saiyan Prince, Vegeta against Garlick from Mango Island! Will Jackie Chun and Lubu please enter the ring!"   
  


"Will Kakarott and Radditz please enter the ring!" The announcer yelled later, after screaming for several minutes about how amazing it was that the mysterious 'Jackie Chun' had beaten a second Papaya Island warrior. He'd made it quite clear Papaya Island warriors were considered superior. 

"Hn," Radditz grunted, striding out towards the designated square. Kakarott made his own monosyllabic noise and wandered after him. 

"Wow, this'll be an interesting match," Kuririn commented. 

"Not really," Vegeta sniffed. "Radditz is a good warrior, but Kakarott was working on catching up with him before last year's **fateful** mission. I presume a year of training has only made him stronger." 

"Oh," Kuririn said. "How strong is Kakarott anyway?" 

Vegeta made a disgusted face. "The general opinion is he'll be the next most powerful in the Empire to me." 

"Hmm," Kuririn paused to digest that. "Are you the most powerful now?" 

"Not yet," Vegeta said, a warning note in his voice. 

"I hope that makes me stronger than I thought," Kuririn commented neutrally. 

"What kingdom are you from, anyway?" Vegeta demanded. 

"Fishu Kingdom," Kuririn said. "My village was pretty close to the Saiyajin border." 

"Fishu," Vegeta's tone left no doubt he thought it inferior. "I've heard they have a few semi-decent fighters there." 

"You don't like admitting a non-Saiyan can be a good warrior, do you?" Kuririn asked. 

"Say that again!" Vegeta snarled, eyes narrowed dangerously. Kuririn sensed a surge of power as the Prince raised his Ki. 

"Um, I mean... Hey, look! They're starting!" Kuririn pointed to where Kakarott was leaping at his brother. The two fighters began exchanging punches before jumping back to reassess each other. 

"Watch it, Human. You may become a good warrior compared to most Saiyajin, but remember - I'm not most Saiyajin," Vegeta snarled nastily. Then he turned to watch the fight.   
  


Radditz watched as his brother as the two of them circled carefully. Thirteen years old and still pretty short, Kakarott's potential was estimated to be greater than his own. Radditz knew most Saiyajin didn't reach second class power until they were in their mid-twenties, and he was already at first class, if just. He wondered if Kakarott's power was high enough to be first class as well. Possibly, although Prince Vegeta wasn't quite into Elite class yet. Vegeta wouldn't like it if Kakarott was first class. 

Still, after training for a year with some Humans his brother had probably picked up one or two new tricks. Best to be wary. 

Suddenly Kakarott leapt up into the air. Radditz did the same, and they met in the middle, exchanging a flurry of punches and half kicks until Kakarott ducked a punch and met Radditz's shin and went flying back to the ground. The shorter boy rolled as Radditz landed with one foot firmly where Kakarott's chest had been just a moment ago. 

Up on one knee, Kakarott fired a Ki blast at the older Saiyan, distracting him while Kakarott finished standing. With a yell Radditz leapt back and launched his own beam of Ki at his brother. 

"Kame-hame-ha!" Kakarott screamed, also jumping back and throwing up a wave of Ki. The two beams crashed as they met, and began straining against each other. Radditz was aware, vaguely, of someone yelling some comment about showy battles as he strained against his brother's power. Kakarott screamed again, and suddenly the energy began to surge towards Radditz. Thinking fast, the long haired Saiyan leapt skyward, continuing to direct his beam on an angle, then he relinquished his blast and let Kakarott's beam tear through empty air. 

He'd scarcely noted it's passing when he heard movement beside him. He turned to catch a punch in the gut. Radditz grunted and backhanded Kakarott across the face, meaning to knock him back a bit. However, Kakarott turned his head with the blow - barely taking any damage from it - then spun around, hoping to smash his heel into his brother's head. 

Radditz saw it coming and grabbed at his brother's leg. He caught it, but was caught off-guard as Kakarott used the abrupt stop of it's momentum to swing his torso around. Radditz almost lost his grip under the sudden movement. He reacted quickly, blasting Kakarott with his free hand before the short fighter could try something else. 

Snarling, Radditz hauled his brother closer and kicked him in the shoulder before throwing him at the ground. Kakarott hit with a thump, throwing up a small cloud of dust. Radditz began to descend, when several blurs of yellow energy shot up towards him. 

Radditz dodged the Ki blasts, and was aware of someone behind him and instant before something slammed into his back and sent **him** flying into the ground.   
Kakarott watched Radditz disappear into the dust cloud. He grinned to himself as he panted and waited for Radditz to get up. He'd been careful to propel his older brother towards the ground inside the ring. No sense ending the fight prematurely. 

The dust blew away quickly to leave a shaky looking Radditz glaring up at the boy in the sky. The announcer stopped counting. 

"You're too old, Radditz! You move as slow as Father does!" Kakarott called down good-naturedly. 

"Shut the hell up, brat! I'm going make you eat your tail!" Radditz howled back. 

Kakarott dropped down inside the ring, taking up a defensive stance several feet from his opponent. He let his tail swing free a couple of times, then tucked it around under the cloth belt of his gi. 

Radditz growled, then launched himself at his brother, intending to smash a fist into Kakarott's face, but the younger Saiyan dodged - straight into a blow from Radditz's tail. Before Kakarott could recover from the surprise, Radditz's elbow caught him under the ribs, knocking the breathe out of him. Radditz smirked and grabbed the front of Kakarott's gi in one hand, punching his brother several times in the abdomen with the other. A small stream of blood trickled out of the corner of Kakarott's mouth. 

"'Family nonsense'?" Kuririn raised an eyebrow at Vegeta. "Doesn't look like they're letting it bother them." 

"Hmph," Vegeta grunted. "Kakarott seems to have improved a bit." 

"He's first class now," Kamesennin commented. 

"Huh?" Vegeta blinked. 

"Not too far off from Elite, actually," The old man nodded. 

"You can tell Saiyajin class levels?" Vegeta asked, then realized the stupidity of asking that of someone who was renowned for fighting his people. 

"Yes," Roshi admitted blandly. 

"How far is he from Elite?" Vegeta demanded. 

"Not too far," The hermit repeated. "Until I see you completely powered up, though, I can't tell which of you is stronger." 

Vegeta made a growling sound in the back of his throat. 

Kakarott growled silently as he ignored the pain in his stomach and ribs and summoned a Ki blast, which hit Radditz in the gut. The older Saiyan grunted, and Kakarott took advantage of the lapse to knee his brother in the ribs, before slipping that foot higher up and pushing off his brother. Kakarott put some Ki behind his push and with a strangled cough Radditz let go. 

Kakarott levitated away from Radditz, who staggered a couple times but kept standing. Under unspoken mutual consent, they spent the next few moments recuperating. 

Then Kakarott straightened, and formed a flat Ki disc on the palm of his hand, and launched it at his brother. 

"Yipes!" Kuririn yelped, watching it speed towards it's target. 

Radditz shot a Ki blast at it and it blew up. 

"Hey, that's not a proper Kienzan!" Kuririn pouted. 

Kakarott sped at Radditz in the aftermath of the blast. Radditz levitated slightly and they began exchanging another set of punches and kicks, faster and faster until Kakarott got a punch past Radditz's guard. Before Radditz could retaliate Kakarott launched into a flurry of blows, finishing with an uppercut that knocked Radditz across the ring. The tall Saiyan picked himself up out of the dust and looked up to see a booted foot speeding towards his face. Kakarott's kick connected cleanly, knocking his brother down again. 

The smaller Saiyan jumped back, breathing heavily. The announcer began counting again. Radditz staggered up again, wiping the blood off his face. 

"Damn brat," Radditz panted. 

"I'm first class level," Kakarott said proudly. 

"Me too," Radditz gasped, between breaths. 

"You sure?" Kakarott grinned broadly. 

Radditz shot him a glare. Kakarott threw back his head and screamed, summoning his Ki into a blast which he shot at his brother. Radditz tried to side-step, but ended up straight in the way of a second blast. 

Kakarott sped around behind him brother, ramming his shoulder into Radditz's lower back and sending him sprawling forward. Then he jumped onto Radditz and stood on his back. 

The announcer began to count. 

"Get the hell off," Radditz mumbled, straining to push up with enough force to knock Kakarott off. 

"You're too beat up," Kakarott replied. "It's no fun bashing you when you can't hit back." 

"I'll show you hitting back!" Radditz snarled, then relaxed for an instant to gather his strength. With one last effort, Radditz pushed up again, but Kakarott screamed, holding a hand up and letting loose a raw beam of Ki that shoved himself, and Radditz, down. 

"Nine... Ten!" The announcer screamed. "Out! Match to Kakarott!"   
  


By the time Kakarott reached the palms trees, half-supporting half-dragging his brother, Kamesennin had returned from his beach trip. 

"Nice show, Kakarott," He commented. 

"You saw it?" Kakarott asked, letting Radditz go. The tall Saiyan staggered over to the second palm tree and sat down, leaning his back against it. Kakarott sat down as well, but didn't seem too badly done by. Radditz fixed a death glare on his brother. 

"Mm hm," Kamesennin nodded. 

"Hmph," Vegeta grunted, acknowledging the conversation. 

"Nice job," Kuririn grinned. 

"Well, you're up now," Kakarott smiled. 

"Yep! See you later!" Kuririn said. 

"After you get your ass handed to you by the pretty lady," Radditz mumbled. 

"Hey," Kuririn glared at him, then left for his match.   
  


Kuririn was propped up against Vegeta's palm tree later, trying to ignore the throb of his injuries and the sour taste of defeat while he watched Vegeta toy with his opponent, a bald, pale green Islander named Garlick. 

"Is he always like that?" Kuririn summoned the energy to ask Radditz. 

"Well, that guy got some good hits in, and now he has to pay," Radditz muttered. 

"Great. I'll remember that he thinks like that," Kuririn grumbled. They fell silent as Vegeta deflected a series of Ki blasts back at his opponent, then rained a series of his own down. Garlick fell to the ground and lay panting as the announcer began counting. Vegeta levitated over and picked Garlick up by the front of his shirt. 

"Do I want to see this?" Kuririn asked. 

"Sure. It'll give you an idea what to look forward to if you piss Vegeta off enough," Radditz grumbled. 

"Great," Kuririn repeated. "Oh, that reminds me. If Vegeta is eighteen, and Kakarott is thirteen, how old are you?" 

"Nineteen." 

"But you're so much taller." 

"Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one," Radditz said dryly. 

Kuririn raised an eyebrow. 

"Don't worry, they'll get taller," Radditz said. 

"Hmph," Kuririn turned back to the battle. Vegeta had finished bashing Garlick one handed. The Saiyan Prince sneered as he tossed his helpless opponent into the air and raised his hands, both up, palms forward. Energy began to gather on his palms 

"Garlick-Ho!" Vegeta cried, prompting his now falling opponent to crane his head around to see what the Prince was yelling about. The hapless Islander immediately wished he hadn't looked. Vegeta released the energy in a stream, the huge rush of energy catching Garlick in it's path and propelling him over the spectators and well into the distance. A cloud of dust rose where he landed. 

"Out!" The announcer screamed. 

Vegeta raised an eyebrow as one of Bojack's warriors flew off towards the defeated Garlick. The Saiyan Prince crossed his arms as he waited, rather impatiently. The warrior quickly returned, flying straight to the tower to conference with the announcer. 

"Out and match to Prince Vegeta!" The announcer yelled. A second later the gong sounded as the crowd applauded the victory. 

"Hmph," Vegeta growled as he stomped back to the group. "As if I would be careless enough to break one of their dumb rules." 

"Eh, I thought you might have knocked him off," Radditz drawled. 

"Shut up, Radditz," Vegeta snarled, then he turned to face Kamesennin. "I think I'll name **that** Ki beam attack the 'Garlick-Ho'," The Prince sneered. 

"I'm sure he's honoured," Kamesennin chuckled. Vegeta glared at him. 

"...have a good evening folks, and don't forget to be here tomorrow after dawn for the exciting third round of our Tournament!" The announcer called to the dispersing crowd.   
  


"I find it very disturbing that only Dia has progressed to the third round," The tall figure said to the four warriors that knelt behind him. "**And** she's the only Islander still in the Tournament besides myself! But there are **four** Mainlanders. This is intolerable." 

The four warriors shifted uncomfortably, unsure whether or not to speak. 

"Eratsu, Spade, Lubu. After this Tournament you have five years until the next. You will not disappoint me in that one, you understand?" 

"Yes, Majesty," The three men said in unison. 

"Dia, you will sit out the third round. That will give the Mainlanders a chance to whittle down their numbers." 

"Yes, Majesty," The woman nodded, her long orange hair bouncing slightly with the movement of her head. 

"Good. Go prepare yourselves for tomorrow. Lubu, find out who Jackie Chun is, and where he's staying. Spade, keep an eye on those Saiyajin. Dismissed." 

As one the four rose and departed, leaving their King alone to wonder about Mainland warriors. 

'Could it be that there are warriors who pose a threat to **my** Islands? Perhaps it's time that I aimed at larger ambitions.'   
  


**Story Notes:**

_Round One Matches (in order of occurrence):_   
Kakarott vs Captain Gem: Kakarott   
Dia vs Saltsu: Dia   
Kuririn vs Pepa: Kuririn   
Yellow Shogun vs Garlick: Garlick   
Kiwi vs Thyme: Kiwi   
Chives vs Radditz: Radditz   
Jackie Chun vs Spade: Jackie Chun   
Lubu vs Cinamon: Lubu   
Spider Girl (some girl with eight arms, not the comic heroine ^_-) vs Vegeta: Vegeta   
Sitting it out: Eratsu 

_Round Two Matches (in order of occurrence):_   
Jackie Chun vs Lubu: Jackie Chun   
Kakarott vs Radditz: Kakarott   
Kuririn vs Dia: Dia   
Kiwi vs Eratsu: Kiwi   
Vegeta vs Garlick: Vegeta   


**- Finis Chapter 6 -**   
Please take two seconds from your life to bring a spark of joy into mine: review! :) 


	7. "Bojack the deadly fighter! Who will fac...

**Legends of Kakarott**

Author's Note:

The hardest thing about this is deciding what power level everyone is relative to everyone else. Drat it, I know Vegeta was incredibly powerful as a kid, but he's going to have to be not so incredibly powerful right away, or this story won't work. Although, since no one's complained, I guess you're all okay with this. ^_^ Then why am I worrying?! *_* After all, it's a retelling, not the original story... and that makes it an AU! Okay, I'm calm again. 

**Chapter Seven: Bojack the deadly fighter! Who will face him?**

Warning: Violence 

  
Kuririn could feel the beads of sweat rolling down his back as he inched his way a little closer. The wind that constantly swept up off the beach chose that moment to buffet him, pushing his gi around with reckless abandon. Kuririn ignored it, instead cupping a hand around the hole in the coconut he was carrying, biting his bottom lip at the thought that sand might get inside and sour the sweet, cloudy liquid inside. 

Careful not to make a sound, he eased his way around to avoid casting a shadow over the body lying stomach-down on the warm sand. If his timing was off, he would look like a complete idiot. A voice in the back of his head wondered if she had heard him yet. 

Kuririn lowered himself till he was sitting on the backs of his legs, near the head of the sunbathing woman. 

"Um, excuse me?" He said, horrified at the discordant way the words erupted from his throat. 

"Hmm?" The blue-green girl opened her blue eyes and stared at him. 

"Uh, it's kinda hot out here and I was wondering if you, uh, wanted a coconut?" Kuririn babbled, holding out the coconut a bit closer to her. 

Her eyes narrowed. With precise movements, Pepa sat up and dusted herself off, being careful not to put pressure on any of her bruises or her broken leg. 

"Thank you, but I'm just fine," She sniffed, turning her head the other way. Her ponytails bobbed a few times in contempt. 

"Oh...," Kuririn sighed, shrinking slightly. "I, uh, wanted to apologize for breaking your leg too. It must take lots of practise to do those flips and stuff, and... I know you'll probably be off it for weeks now..." 

"Well, injuries will happen now, won't they?" Pepa snapped. 

"Uh, you're really mad?" Kuririn asked before he could stop himself. 

Pepa made a face. Then sighed in irritation. "Look, you're obviously a better fighter then me, so you won our match. I'll just have to practise for the next tournament. Can you stop rubbing it in my face now?!" 

"Huh? I only won cause I surprised you with a power attack! You've got way more moves then I do!" Kuririn protested wildly. "You can do all those cool acrobatics! I'm not that flexible, I'd probably break my back or something if I tried that. And I've never seen a Ki sword before. It reminded me of this technique I made - I was inspired by swords, but I didn't think you could actually make a **Ki** sword and you made it so fast, that was incredible! It took me ages to be able to get an edge on my Kienzan without concentrating for several **minutes**. You must be really really good at controlling your Ki," Kuririn stopped only because he had to breathe. 

"...That's nice of you to say that," Pepa said neutrally. 

"Um...," Kuririn trailed off, not sure what to say. Finally he decided he should leave before the situation got more uncomfortable. "Well, enjoy the coconut!" He said, putting it down beside her and pushing himself to his feet. He was pleased that he didn't get sand everywhere. 

"Bye!" The short boy called to her, turning to leave. 

"Hey, um, Kuririn?" Pepa called. 

"Yes?," Kuririn gasped, frozen in place. 

Pepa reached around and grabbed a small leather waterbag lying on the sand near her. "You know, if you walk around without a hat, you're going to get a sunburn," She said, holding out the bag to him. "This is a special potion, everyone here makes it. If you put it on your bare skin, the sun won't burn it." 

"Sun burn?" Kuririn asked, accepting the bag. 

"Yes, it's really painful," Pepa explained. "Since you don't have any hair I thought you could use some," She tried to make it sound offhand. 

"Oh, yeah," Kuririn mumbled. "Thanks a lot!" He smiled at her. 

Pepa shrugged. 

"I guess I'll see you later," Kuririn said, waving slightly as he turned and walked away. Pepa nodded once, before starting to move back into her sunbathing position. 

Kuririn walked off, feeling immensely pleased with himself. Halfway back to the camp someone feel into step with him. 

"Had a nice conversation, hmm?" Radditz raised an eyebrow. 

"What?" Kuririn faltered, feeling his face blush. 

"What's this?" Radditz pointed to the leather bag. 

"It's a potion to prevent sunburn," Kuririn said quickly. 

"Oh," Radditz said, deflating a bit. 

"What did you think it was?" Kuririn asked suspiciously. 

Radditz shrugged. "Water, I guess," He said. 

"Water? Why the hell would she give me water?" Kuririn asked, bewildered. 

"Why not?" Radditz sniffed. 

Kuririn laughed. 

"What?" Radditz snapped. 

"I keep forgetting Saiyajin aren't used to the concept of 'lots of water'," Kuririn snickered. "Of course you'd think anything in a liquid-holding container is water. Hey, I have to remember that in case I want to poison any of you." 

"Poison?" Radditz rolled his eyes. "You disgust me, Human." 

"So tell me, if I gave a Saiyan girl water, would she think I was cute?" Kuririn grinned. 

"Maybe, if she's three," Radditz sneered. "Then she'd be about your height too, heh." 

"So Vegeta has to hit on three-year-olds or be over-shadowed too?" Kuririn narrowed his eyes, but couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from twitching upwards. 

"**Prince** Vegeta to you, you low life scum," Radditz scowled, then levitated. "Now come on, the matches are about to start, and Kakarott doesn't want you missing his." 

"Gotcha!" Kuririn said, jumping into the air and speeding off with the long-haired Saiyan.   
  


Kuririn and Radditz set down near Vegeta just as the announcer screamed for Kakarott and Jackie Chun to begin. 

"Why did Kamesennin tell us he wouldn't be fighting when it appears he intended to all along?" Vegeta asked in Kuririn's general direction, although he didn't look at him. 

"What?" Kuririn asked. 

"Jackie Chun. He's Kamesennin. It's obvious. Same beard, he's old...," Vegeta replied. 

Kuririn squinted at the old man. 

Jackie Chun ran forward, punching at Kakarott's face. The Saiyan leapt up, jumping easily over the blow. Chun didn't seem at all fazed. The white-haired man jumped up into the air, somersaulting upwards mid-air, then suddenly unfolding into a kick that smashed into Kakarott's side, sending him sprawling through the air. 

"I don't know, I've never seen Master Roshi fight like **that**," Kuririn commented as Kakarott caught himself in the air. Chun had already landed inside the ring and stood waiting for his shorter opponent to land. Kakarott set down and immediately settled into his stance, narrowing his eyes. Quite independently Kakarott had arrived at the same suspicion as his prince, and he was watching Chun closely. He had to admit to himself that if Chun really was Master Roshi, he truly was a legendary fighter. 

"I didn't hit you too hard, did I, kid?" Jackie called across the ring. 

Kakarott grinned, glad for the challenge and sprang forwards, closing the distance between himself and his opponent. As he did so, he noticed Jackie's image seemed to waver, but he had no time to think about it before his punch... went right **through** Jackie. 

Gasping, Kakarott pulled his fist back, thoughts of pirate ghosts dancing through his head. 

"Behind you!" Kuririn screamed, a little too late. Jackie Chun smashed the blades of both his hands into the boy's back, sending Kakarott face first into the dirt. 

"He uses that technique a lot, although he made two fake images of himself yesterday," Vegeta frowned. "Kakarott should have been expecting it." 

"Hurry up and get up, Kakarott!" Kuririn called. 

Kakarott was doing just that, climbing carefully to his feet. 

"How did you do that?" Kakarott asked Jackie. 

"It's a simple matter, really, but I'm not going to explain it to you," The old man replied. 

"Hiiiiii-yaaaaaa!" Kakarott yelled, before Chun had finished speaking. The Saiyan sped towards the Human, pulling aside at the last moment and sending a fist towards Jackie's side. Somehow the old man managed to dodge it, firing a Ki blast at Kakarott that hit and almost knocked him off balance. Kakarott levitated quickly, then spun around. 

"That's rude," Jackie commented. Suddenly his expression changed to one of merry befuddlement and he began to stagger around. 

"Are you okay?" Kakarott asked, completely confused. 

"Ho ho ho," Chun chortled, continuing his odd movements, suddenly bringing his elbow down onto Kakarott's head and knocking him down. 

"Ow!" Kakarott yelped, rubbing his head as he scrambled back up to his feet. He found himself staring at Jackie's back as the old man continued to stagger. Kakarott had no warning as Chun's leg suddenly sprang up, catching him square in the chin and launching the Saiyan skywards. 

"What is he **doing**?" Radditz asked, watching Chun intently. 

"Some kind of drunken stance, I think," Kuririn answered without taking his eyes from the fight. 

Kakarott growled and changed directions as he descended, heading towards Chun in a flying kick. The old man staggered to the side instants before the boy's foot would have connected, and smacked an elbow into Kakarott's back, sending the boy tumbling as he crashed into the ground. 

"What a clever style," Vegeta commented. "It looks stupid, though." 

"Yeah, but if it came down to it, I'd rather look stupid then lose," Kuririn said. 

"I wasn't asking for your opinion, Human," Vegeta sniffed. 

Kuririn ignored the Prince, watching Jackie dodge another of Kakarott's punches, only to knee the Saiyan boy in the stomach. Kakarott crumpled, then rolled out of harm's way and stood up carefully. 

"Giving up?" Jackie's voice sounded as drunk as his motions. 

Kakarott jumped further away from Jackie, then crouched down, bending his head down. 

"I can't guess what he'll do next cause he keeps moving randomly," Kakarott muttered to himself. "That means, I have to force him to move the way **I** want him to." 

The Saiyan grinned to himself. 

"Kakarott!" Radditz called. 

"What attack will Kakarott come up with next?" The announcer was shouting. "He hasn't shown any signs of quitting up till now." 

Suddenly Kakarott straightened and turned to face Jackie. His eyes were wild, and saliva dripped down one side of his face, as he snarled at the old man, showing his canine teeth. With a low, animalistic growl, the Saiyan jumped towards Jackie, landing on his feet and hands and quickly covering the distance. 

With a savage howl he leapt at Jackie, his fingers extended as claws aimed for the old man's throat. As the little Saiyan had intended, Jackie forgot all about the drunken stance, straightening and launching a punch at Kakarott's head. Kakarott pushed out with his Ki, propelling himself in a neat flip over the punch, and he slammed his heel into Jackie's head as he descended, sending the old man sprawling. 

Kakarott landed easily on all fours, then stood up, wiping the sweat from his forehead and grinning as he watched Jackie Chun climb to his feet. 

"Saiyajin don't fight like that," Vegeta growled. 

"Wow, he looked pretty scary," Kuririn muttered. 

"You learn to snarl really well when you turn into a giant monkey once a year," Radditz grinned a wide, toothy grin at Kuririn. 

"Do you foam at the mouth too?" Kuririn raised an eyebrow. Radditz's tail flew out from around his waist and smashed into Kuririn, knocking him off his feet. 

"Cheater!" Kuririn spat, jumping easily to his feet, fists clenched. 

"Later," Vegeta growled at them both. 

Jackie Chun and Kakarott were busy exchanging a series of blows, each blocking, countering or dodging the other's maneuvers. Finally Kakarott fell backwards, rolling with a punch, landing on his back. Rolling quickly onto his stomach, he lashed out with his tail, tripping Chun. Kakarott scrambled to his feet and danced away, then placed his hands down behind his back, and began charging his energy. 

Jackie Chun rose to his feet, and began to move his arms in a complex motion. Kakarott tensed, directing his senses at the man, but Jackie's Ki remained as it was, with no signs of charging for an attack. 

"Kame...," Kakarott strained, beginning to recite the familiar phrase. 

"Yo-i-ko-min-min-ken," Chun chanted, just loud enough for the Saiyan to hear. Kakarott's mouth hung open, the next syllables refusing to come. A lethargic tiredness fell over him, and his accumulated energy disappeared as his eyes closed and he fell forward and hit the ground face-first.   
  


"What the hell?!" Radditz demanded, his tail thrashing back and forward in surprise as he stood on tiptoes, peering intently at Kakarott's prone form. 

"Kakarott, get up!" Kuririn yelled as the announcer began the count down. 

"How... what did he do to him?" Vegeta muttered, warily eyeing the black-garbed old man that stood, hands clasped behind his back, waiting patiently as the announcer called out numbers. 

"Kakarott!" Kuririn shouted, cupping his hands as he yelled at his friend. 

"Kakarott, get the hell back up!" Radditz snarled. 

"Three!" The announcer cried. Still, Kakarott didn't move. 

"He's not dead," Radditz frowned, sensing. In fact, Kakarott's Ki level was still pretty high. His younger brother should still be jumping around - especially since Chun hadn't landed any major blows! 

"One! Out! Match goes to Jackie Chun!" The announcer cried. The crowd of spectators began to cheer, and Chun bowed a few times, before walking away. Kuririn raced out to where Kakarott still lay, face down. 

"Hey, Kakarott!" The short boy called, dropping to his knees and leaning down to inspect the Saiyan. A faint snore answered him. Kuririn began shaking him gently. "Wake up!" 

"What's wrong with him?" Radditz asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared down. 

Kakarott mumbled something, and opened his eyes. 

"Are you okay?" Kuririn asked, concerned. 

"Yeah," Kakarott said, standing up. "What happened?" 

"You tell us," Radditz scowled. 

Kakarott looked embarrassed. "I think... I fell asleep." 

"No way," Kuririn said. "You can't fall asleep in the middle of a fight." 

"Where's Jackie Chun?" Kakarott asked, looking around for the old man. 

"Huh? I don't know," Kuririn shrugged. 

"You could," Radditz sounded almost reproachful, "at least beat some old man, after beating me." 

"...," Kakarott scowled at his brother. 

"Get out of the ring," Vegeta said, walking over to them. "It's my turn." 

Radditz nodded, throwing a glare at Kiwi. The pale humanoid was just entering the ring, still wearing his thick, white cape despite the heat and humidity. 

Levitating, Kuririn, Kakarott and Radditz quickly flew back over to their customary spot, ready to watch the final match of the day.   
  


"Fighters! Ready?! Fight!!" The announcer screamed, as the crowd hollered it's approval. 

Vegeta and Kiwi both slid into fighting stances, although neither made a move. 

"I'm honoured to fight you," Kiwi smirked. "I hear that you're already near Elite class, and you're still young. You must be some sort of fluke." 

Vegeta growled low in his throat. "Watch me get that final power boost into Elite by breaking every bone in your body, Iceman." 

"I'll have you know I'm one of Cold's Palace Guards," Kiwi said grandly. 

"Ah, all fluff, no real experience," Vegeta snickered. 

Kiwi's face darkened. "Well then, oh experienced one, attack!" 

"You asked," Vegeta sneered, springing into the air as he shot Ki blast after Ki blast in rapid succession at his adversary. Vegeta watched the clouds of dust until he felt a twinge of Ki to his right. 

Spinning, the Saiyan brought up his arms, crossed defensively in front of him, and was knocked backwards, but not out of control, by a flying kick. Vegeta stopped his movement with a thought, then sped forward, meeting Kiwi mid air where the two began exchanging a brisk series of kicks and punches. 

Kiwi caught Vegeta's left fist, shoving the hand to one side and catching the wrist in one smooth movement, quickly pulling Vegeta forward and bringing up his knee. Vegeta winced, although his armour absorbed some of the blow. Before he could recover, Kiwi slipped out to the side and rammed an elbow into his back, sending the Saiyan face first towards the already broken ground. 

Vegeta angled and hit the ground on all fours, bouncing off the dirt and 'landing' at the same altitude as the Cold warrior. Vegeta growled, and sped forward again, feinting a right punch. As Kiwi moved his hand up to block it, Vegeta moved his fist to his left, pulling his body around after him and slamming his left leg into his opponent. Kiwi was knocked back several meters, far enough for Vegeta to prepare his next attack. 

Placing his hands behind him, the Saiyan concentrated his energy then shoved his hands up and in front of him. 

"Garlick-Ho!" Vegeta screamed, and a deluge of energy shot out, catching Kiwi and pushing the unfortunate Northerner ahead of itself. Eyes glinting, Vegeta flew upwards, altering his angle, and sent Kiwi smashing into the ground. Hearing some shouting below, the Saiyan Prince surveyed his work, smirking as he observed that Kiwi was pulling himself out of a new crater - behind the spectators. 

"Well, well. That beam technique is the easiest manuever for the amount of damage it causes that I've ever pulled off. No wonder Kakarott likes the Kamehameha," Vegeta mused, descending slowly. When he was low enough to see Kiwi, he drew his lips back in a sneer, before touching down, spinning on his heel, and stalking over to Radditz and the others. 

Behind him, Kiwi's knuckles went even paler as the man clenched his fists so hard his nails bit into the skin.   
  


The next day's match was fierce, as Dia did her best to please her King and defeat one of the two remaining Mainlanders. To her credit, Vegeta collapsed after the ten count and had to be carried off by Radditz, but a defeat was still a defeat, and when she woke up the next day Spade informed her King Bojack wasn't pleased with her. Depressed, the blue skinned woman could do nothing but lie there and wait till she healed.   
  


"How does your brother manage to hang around that guy?" Kuririn said, sitting down beside Kakarott, who was watching the setting sun. 

"Vegeta? He's not too bad if you don't get him angry at you," Kakarott shrugged. 

"Shame about tomorrow. Dia did a number on him. There's no way he'll be able to beat Jackie Chun," Kuririn shook his head. "I still can't decide whether Master Roshi and Jackie Chun are the same person. Master Roshi has missed **all** of Chun's fights... but he can't be Jackie Chun, because Jackie got injured in that fight against Lubu, but Master Roshi wasn't hurt." 

"Jackie Chun wasn't injured when he fought me, and that was just the next day," Kakarott pointed out. 

"Something weird is happening," Kuririn complained. His expression suddenly grew crafty. "Hey, Kakarott, how about if we do a little test." 

Kakarott raised an eyebrow. 

"If we could get something that stains the skin, we could 'accidentally' spill some on Master Roshi. Then, if Jackie Chun turns up with the stains on him, we'll know they're the same person!" 

Kakarott nodded. "That's a good idea... but what if Roshi-sama gets mad?" 

"What's the worst he's going to do?" Kuririn asked rhetorically. 

"Kill us?" Kakarott suggested. 

"Seriously," Kuririn said. "You know he wouldn't do that." 

"Refuse to train us? Beat us up?" Kakarott listed. 

"Exactly," Kuririn nodded, "but, you see, it was an accident. We didn't **mean** to spill whatever it is on him. So he can't blame us." 

"This sounds like something Tabelu would do," Kakarott mumbled. 

"Now, where can we get something that'll do the trick?" Kuririn asked. 

"I have no idea," Kakarott replied. 

"Squid ink," Kuririn said, tapping his fingertips together as he narrowed his eyes. "Squid ink would be perfect." 

"I wonder if Roshi-sama brought any of those underwater capes," Kakarott mused. 

"Ha! I'll go ask him for one!" Kuririn said, jumping up excitedly. "We can take turns diving for squids!" 

"At night?" Kakarott made a face. 

"Fine, I'll dive, you float up the top with a light so I can find you again, okay?" 

"Okay!"   
  


Although Kamesennin hadn't brought any underwater capes, he directed them to the tournament organiser, who found someone willing to lend them one. Kuririn told them he was planning on getting an early morning swim to check out the beautiful local fish, and after moving heavy furniture for the woman it belonged to, the boys found themselves out over the sea, with only the stars and half a pale blue moon for company. 

Tracking down suitable squids took them most of the night, but by morning Kuririn had collected enough. Sneaking back to the campsite they managed to wake everyone, but in the darkness no one noticed the ink all over Kuririn's clothes. As Kakarott moved over to find a place to sleep, though, he tripped in the dark, knocking the drink he had been finishing all over Kamesennin. 

After a lot of noise, everyone went back to sleep.   
  


Kakarott was rudely shaken awake the next morning. 

"Hey, wake up!" Kamesennin snapped at the boy. 

"Wha?" Kakarott mumbled sitting up and scratching his head. 

"What sort of drink did you **have**?" Kamesennin scowled. 

"Um, some kind of juice," Kakarott lied. 

"**Really**. It wouldn't just **happen** to be squid ink?" 

"Why would I be drinking squid ink in the middle of the night?" Kakarott said quickly. 

Kamesennin looked hard at the Saiyajin. Kakarott suddenly felt nervous. 

"What's the matter, Master Roshi?" Kuririn asked, wide-eyed. 

"Yeah," Radditz snorted. "It's not like any of the women have been looking at you as it is. If anything, some of them might actually talk to you long enough to find out what happened." 

Kamesennin's eyes narrowed behind the sunglasses. 

"You can always just stay to watch the match today," Kuririn suggested. 

Radditz shot a look at Vegeta, who was glaring at the group, daring anyone to comment on how long he would last out there with torn muscles, several broken ribs, at least four broken fingers, a tender knee and more bruises then could be counted. 

Abruptly Kamesennin's mood lightened. "I think I will," He said, tossing them all a smile. "I'm off for a morning stroll. See you boys later." 

As he walked off Kuririn's eyes narrowed. The moment the old man was out of earshot he spoke. "How much do you want to bet he knows something that'll wash the ink off?" 

Radditz and Vegeta looked at him. 

"Hmm," Kakarott cocked his head to the side. "I'll follow him." 

"Right!" Kuririn nodded. 

Jumping into the trees, Kakarott quietly made his way after the old Turtle master. 

"So that **was** ink," Vegeta said. "You think the old man's Jackie Chun?" 

"One way or another, we'll find out for sure," Kuririn said firmly.   
  


Kamesennin turned up to watch the penultimate* battle of the Island Tournament, still stained. After waiting for almost an hour, it was pretty clear that Jackie Chun wasn't going to make an appearance. Vegeta spent the whole time standing in the ring looking particularly cross. 

Suddenly King Bojack stood up and walked over to the announcer, saying something in a low voice. The announcer gestured down to the man with the gong, who enthusiastically swung his mallet and pounded the metal dish. 

"The match is forfeit! Prince Vegeta wins the round!" The announcer called, his customary excitement meeting the disappointed and annoyed murmurs from the crowd. 

Vegeta's scowl deepened as he turned and marched - without favouring his sore leg - back towards Kamesennin and the others. He stopped in front of the old man, glaring accusingly. He was about to speak when Kamesennin glanced meaningfully at something behind the Saiyan. 

"Prince Vegeta," A deep voice stated. Vegeta turned to see Bojack standing a few feet away. 

"King Bojack," Vegeta replied, his tone one of practised politeness. 

"Tomorrow is the final round of this tournament. Your last chance to withdraw will be tomorrow morning," Bojack eyed the Prince, his gaze lingering where he knew Vegeta was most injured in a warning. 

"Withdraw? A Saiyan doesn't **withdraw**," Vegeta snarled. 

"Even when the only other option is to die?" Bojack raised an eyebrow, slightly mocking. 

Vegeta clenched his teeth. Kamesennin moved into the Saiyan's field of view, shaking his head. That was the last straw. Vegeta clenched his fists. "I'll fight you tomorrow, and I'll kill you," Vegeta spat, then turned and marched off, refusing to acknowledge Bojack's sneer. Radditz caught up with him before he'd gone more then three steps. 

"Prince Vegeta is really strong," Vegeta heard Kakarott's voice pipe up. "Don't underestimate him!" 

"Even if your Prince was my equal in strength, he's injured," Bojack murmured, then strode off. 

Kakarott scowled at the tall man's back. 

"Don't worry," Kamesennin put a hand on Kakarott's shoulder. "We've got till tomorrow morning to talk Prince Vegeta out of it." 

"Out of it?" Kakarott looked up at him, frowning. "I don't think you will." 

"Yeah, I get the feeling Vegeta would rather die then risk anyone knowing he'd forfeit a fight," Kuririn said gloomily.   
  


Later that afternoon as Vegeta sat, stubbornly refusing to listen to Kamesennin who was going on about Bojack's strength and cunning in battle, Kiwi walked up. The man from the Cold Empire was looking somewhat better then he had at the end of his last match. 

"Prince Vegeta," He said, his tone dripping with faked concern. "I saw your **win** this morning. You'll be fighting the Island King tomorrow, I presume?" 

Vegeta scowled at him. "Of course," He snapped. 

"I do **so** look forward to taking home the news of your unpleasant demise at the hand of some nobody Islander King that no one has **heard** of," Kiwi beamed. 

Vegeta held up a hand, screaming as he gathered energy at it before releasing it at the pale man's head. Kiwi leapt aside. Vegeta leapt up, bounding forward and smashing the Cold citizen flying. 

"You pale freak!" Vegeta flew after him, the others a few seconds after. The Prince's lips curled into a sneer. "You know, you won't be taking anyone **any** news if you don't leave here alive." 

Kiwi pulled himself out of a palm tree. "Think you can kill me and still get Bojack afterwards? You're an idiot!" 

"Who said anything about **me** killing you? Radditz! Kakarott! Get rid of him!" Vegeta snarled. 

"Them?" Kiwi looked quickly at the two of them, eyeing Kakarott for a second longer. 

"Us," Radditz said firmly. 

"If anyone learns of this it will result it all sorts of unfriendliness between our kingdoms," Kiwi babbled, looking a bit nervous, suspecting that he probably couldn't afford to take both Saiyajin at once. "I'm a high ranking officer!" 

"We're already at war!" Vegeta yelled. 

"Just border skirmishes!" Kiwi protested. "It's not all-out war yet!" 

"Consider this a skirmish," Radditz smirked, charging up a Ki blast and leaping at him. 

Kiwi flew up, then shot off into the distance. Radditz jumped up and followed him. 

"Kakarott!" Vegeta scowled. 

Kakarott made a face, then sped off after the other two. 

"He's really just gonna go kill that guy?" Kuririn said, a bit shocked. 

"Of course!" Vegeta said, looking annoyed. "Saiyans are warriors!" 

"That's not fighting, that's killing," Kuririn pointed out. 

Vegeta stared at him. 

"There **is** a difference, you know," Kuririn continued, refusing to be intimidated. "You know they're probably going to win, so that's not fighting, that's hunting. Where's the honour in that?" 

"'Honour'?" Vegeta asked flatly. 

"Yeah," Kuririn nodded. 

"Who cares? He's dead, he won't be telling anyone anything," Vegeta nodded to himself as he began to walk back to their camp. 

Kuririn suddenly got a smug look on his face. "Right. I see. You really do think you're going to die tomorrow, and so you're making sure nobody's going to hear about it." 

"What?!" Vegeta spun around, glaring at him. 

Kuririn met his glare, wide-eyed. "Well, I mean, that's what everyone's thinking. So, I'm sure everyone will understand what happened when that guy turns up dead, cause if you were **really** confident, you wouldn't need to have him killed," Kuririn finished, then beamed at Vegeta. 

"You're trying to manipulate me," Vegeta stated. 

"I'm just calling it like I see it," Kuririn said, eyes downcast modestly. 

"I ought to kill you." 

"Um..." 

"Fine," Vegeta snapped. "Go tell them." 

With a final look of hatred directed at the small Human, Vegeta stomped off towards the camp. 

"Impressive, Kuririn. You better go catch up with Kakarott and Radditz," Kamesennin congratulated him. 

"Yeah, I'm good at making enemies, aren't I?" Kuririn said, watching Vegeta nervously. With a sigh he took off, locking onto Kakarott and Radditz's Ki signatures.   
  


The crowd started to gather the next day before dawn. It was obvious no one wanted to miss this fight. The Island warriors hadn't done as well as expected, and the natives obviously wanted to see their King defeat the Saiyajin Prince. People came from all over the Island. Officials had to keep demanding that the spectators set themselves up a safe distance from the ring. 

By the time the sun began to rise, the place was packed. Vegeta, Kamesennin and the others approached, Kuririn and Radditz with expressions of reluctance, Kamesennin contemplative, Kakarott worried and Vegeta defiant. 

They stopped a ways back from the crowds. 

"I suppose we aren't going to talk you out of this," Kamesennin said, breaking the silence. 

"No!" Vegeta snapped. 

"Well, then, I suppose you might as well go at it in while at your best," The old master reached into a pocket and withdrew something. "Eat this," He said, tossing Vegeta a small object. 

"What is it?" Vegeta asked, eyeing it. It was small and brown, a bean of some kind. 

"That," Kamesennin stated, "is a Senzu bean. Almost impossible to get if you don't know how to get them." 

Vegeta scowled at him, then ate it. His eyes widened in surprise. "What..?!" He turned to Kamesennin. "So **that** was how you did it!" 

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kamesennin said gruffly. 

"Did what?" Kakarott interrupted. 

"Senzu beans are a special type of bean. Eat just one, and it will heal all your injuries and restore you to full strength," Kamesennin explained. 

"It does?" Radditz stared at him. 

"Wow," Kuririn whispered. 

Vegeta smirked, turning to look at the ring. "Well then, Bojack is in for a surprise."   


**Story Notes:**

Round Three Matches:   
Jackie Chun vs Kakarott: Jackie Chun   
Vegeta vs Dia: Vegeta 

Round Four Match:   
Vegeta vs Jackie Chun: Vegeta   


* Shameless plug. If you haven't already, go read Penultimate, my first DBZ short. Penultimate is an interesting word - it doesn't exist in US English. Found, however, in Australian and English English, 'penultimate' means the next to last, or second last - the whatever that comes right before the 'ultimate' or final. ^_^ 

**- Finis Chapter 7 -**   
Please take two seconds from your life to bring a spark of joy into mine: review! :)   



	8. "Bojack versus Vegeta! Bra meets Sorcere...

**Legends of Kakarott**

Author's Notes:   
Thank you, [Box Turtle][1], for beta reading this! Box Turtle wrote a touching DBZ story called 'The Real Price of Saving the World'. ^_^ I also recommend [Tachi's][2] 'Future, Imperfect'. 

**Chapter Eight: Bojack versus Vegeta! Bra meets Sorcerer Gero!**

Warning: Violence 

  
The air was thick with tension as Vegeta entered the ring. The Saiyan walked in slowly, knowing that they expected him to be badly injured. 

Bojack walked into the ring. The tall Island King wore a bandana over his hair, but he'd removed his customary coat and apparently intended to fight bare-chested. 

'He's confident,' Vegeta noted to himself. 

"Welcome everyone to the Sixth and Final round of the Island Tournament!" The announcer broke through the murmurs with his usual cheerful screaming. "This morning our King, Bojack, will face the final competitor, Prince Vegeta of the Saiyajin Empire!" 

The crowd began cheering, eager for the match to begin. Eager to see their King win. 

Kakarott watched as Vegeta and Bojack squared off, each eyeing the other up, trying to decide what maneuver to attempt when the match began. 

"Fighters!" The announcer leaned precariously out of his tower as he screamed above the noise of the crowd. "Ready! Begin!" 

The crowed roared again, momentarily deafening even themselves. Neither fighter moved immediately, Bojack smirking slightly as he let the spectators work themselves into a frenzy. Vegeta ignored them, concentrating on Bojack. 

Both fighters leapt into the air at the same moment, meeting in the centre of the ring a few feet above the ground and exchanging a flurry of punches, half-kicks, blocks and dodges, neither landing any blows. Vegeta dodged under a high kick and went on the offensive, sending a flurry of punches at Bojack's chest. The Saiyan swung another punch at him again, but this time when Bojack brought up a hand to block, Vegeta moved his fist to the side, then grabbed the Islander's wrist and flung Bojack over his shoulder. 

Vegeta spun around as Bojack righted himself in the air. 

Bojack raised his hands and fired off a stream of small, green Ki balls. Vegeta dodged them, flying sideways faster then Bojack could turn and maintain the attack. As the taller man halted, Vegeta spun and released his own version, golden yellow Ki balls swarmed towards his adversary. 

Bojack deflected the first few before flipping up in a controlled spin and descending like a rocket at the shorter Saiyajin. Vegeta dodged as Bojack landed in the ring, his fist smashing into the ground and obscuring him in the dust. Vegeta lowered himself as he waited for the dirty air to calm. 

Within moments he could make out Bojack's silhouette. Extending his leg, Vegeta shot forward, almost horizontal, and smashed his heel into Bojack's shin. The other man winced and the two began once again exchanging a quick series of blows. 

This time Bojack ended it, sneaking an uppercut through Vegeta's defences and slamming his fist into the base of the boy's ribcage. Before Vegeta could recover, a hammerpunch sent him slamming into the ground. Bojack hovered with his arms crossed, waiting for the dust to settle as the crowed roared it's approval. 

Radditz scowled from where he stood, tail lashing as he glared at the spectators. 

The smoke cleared to reveal Vegeta standing and glaring up at Bojack. The Island King lowered himself in the air and landed a few meters from the Saiyajin Prince. 

"You're quite good," Bojack said, in an almost friendly tone. "Especially for someone who has several broken bones." 

"You're strong," Vegeta replied haughtily, ignoring the taste of his own blood in his mouth. "I prefer strong opponents." 

"I prefer ones that are both strong and clever, they're **much** more challenging," Bojack said, a faint smirk on his face. 

Vegeta narrowed his eyes, feeling the sting and ache of minor injuries. 

"When I don't get a challenge I don't like wasting my time," Bojack continued, a cold gleam in his eyes. 

Vegeta ignored the comment and charged up, launching a Ki blast at his opponent. Bojack deflected it. Vegeta frowned and threw another, darting forward in an attack as soon as it left his hand. Bojack deflected it as well, and still managed to bring up his defences in time to lock into another flurry of attacks with Vegeta. 

Bojack moved his head left, dodging another of Vegeta's punches, and this time instead of moving back into place the orange-haired man continued turning left, bringing his leg up to smash into Vegeta, knocking the short Saiyajin backwards and leaving him gasping for breath. In an instant Bojack was behind him, and with a solid punch to the stomach sent Vegeta spinning through the air back the way he came. 

Bojack rematerialised behind him again and battered him off in another direction. Vegeta felt his anger surge. He was being mocked, being tossed back and forward like this. A tiny spring of fear welled up before he could stop it, pointing out quietly that he wasn't able to follow all of Bojack's movements. Could Bojack be that much more powerful then himself? Vegeta pushed the idea aside, deciding that when one was being occupied with being smashed around in the air, monitoring your enemy was difficult. 

Kakarott watched as Bojack hit Vegeta a fourth time. He frowned. If Vegeta didn't break out of that pattern soon he could get seriously injured. 

Growling Vegeta concentrated, powering up and stopping himself in mid-air. Immediately he let himself fall as he righted, ducking a blow from his opponent simply because he didn't pause. 

As Bojack hurried to right himself from the over-extended punch, Vegeta spun and pulled his hands around, screaming as he summoned energy between them then sent it at Bojack in a huge beam. 

Bojack brought his arms up in a block as the beam smashed into him. The light and energy obscured him, but Vegeta held the beam, refusing to cease fire. Welcoming whatever anger he could summon, the Saiyan screamed again, pumping more energy into the blast and watching in satisfaction as something gave and the beam surged forward past the place where Bojack had been. The Saiyajin Prince held the beam for a few more seconds, all senses alert in case Bojack had managed to get out of the way, and then he let the energy dissipate. 

Suddenly Vegeta's senses found Bojack - unmistakably. A huge Ki was heading back towards the ring at incredible speeds, and Vegeta felt his mouth go dry as he felt it's strength. Stronger then any Saiyajin alive, or any other warrior the Prince had met. 

On the ground the other warriors felt it too. 

"Is that Bojack?!" Kuririn gasped. 

"Yep, he's finally taking this seriously," Kamesennin sighed. 

"Seriously?!" Radditz exclaimed. 

"I hope for your sake that Prince Vegeta has enough sense to touch down outside the ring," Kamesennin said crossly. 

"That's surrender," Radditz mumbled as Bojack arrived back at the ring. 

Up in the air Bojack charged at Vegeta, no signs of slowing. Vegeta stood his ground. The Island King pulled his arm back and swung forward in a massive punch... 

...that went right through the image of the Prince. Bojack had no time to react as a huge beam of Ki energy slammed into his back, forcing him down into the ground with frightening speed. Bojack hit the ground, obscured by the light and dust. The spectators lapsed into silence. 

Vegeta didn't let up, continuing to feed energy into the beam. 

"Oh, the fake image technique!" Kakarott cried, recognizing the trick Vegeta had pulled. 

"It's called 'Zanzoken'," Kamesennin muttered. 

"Why is he still firing?" Kuririn asked, watching Vegeta. 

"Bojack isn't dead yet," Kamesennin scolded him. "Can't you sense his Ki?" 

"...not really," Kuririn said, abashed. "There's too much energy out there." 

"Wha?!" Kakarott gasped, his senses suddenly screaming as Bojack's Ki suddenly increased in size. Over in the ring a beam of green energy was slowly emerging from the ground, gradually pushing back Vegeta's yellow beam. The crowd began to cheer again, shouting encouragement to Bojack. 

"Kami!" Kuririn breathed. 

"How can he be that powerful?!" Radditz stared in disbelief. "This is a backwater island!" 

Vegeta strained against the opposite beam, refusing to dwell on how Bojack possibly managed to start returning his attack. Concentrating fiercely, he halted Bojack's beam, which had only risen about a fourth of the way between them. The energy seemed to shudder, protesting the confrontation, and the crowd started yelling again. Vegeta felt a wave of fury rise at the noise, and let it feed his energy. 

The yellow beam started pushing down the green one again. Slowly. Very slowly. Until it stopped, and both seemed static. 

Vegeta was panting, straining, trying to push Bojack's energy just a little further down. 

A green light filled his vision. His Ki sense went wild as seering heat permeated his skin, completely enveloping him. A streak of resentment flared... this wasn't fair. Vegeta couldn't remember a time when he'd thrown so much of his own Ki energy at an opponent. How could he have been so out-matched? Pain overwhelmed his thoughts, as he struggled to think clearly, to survive. Then blackness replaced the green.   
  


Kuririn watched the beams straining against each other, scarcely breathing, his mind running through a zillion scenarios of what he might do if he was in Vegeta's place. He was so busy thinking, he almost missed it. 

With an incredible burst of light, the green energy smashed through the yellow beam, shooting skywards and flaring out into an enormous cone of pale, unhealthy light, somehow cloaking Prince Vegeta from view as it expanded. 

"V.. Vegeta-sama?!" Radditz choked. 

The energy flickered, vanishing, and the sky returned to normal accompanied by utter silence. 

Kuririn sensed around, somewhat frantically. 

"Vegeta-ouji?" Kakarott whispered, his eyes going wide. 

Kuririn felt his heart sink as he continued stretching out, trying to sense for Vegeta's Ki. He couldn't sense the Prince anywhere! 

Bojack levitated himself up out of the crater, his clothing tattered, his skin covered with scratches, all smoking slightly from the aftermath of being energized for so long. The crowd began cheering, but Bojack cut them short with a abrupt gesture. Facing towards the four Mainlanders, he landed on the ground, his face a barely restrained sneer. 

"Your Prince," He said, his tone formal, "was a good fighter." 

Radditz snarled, his face twisting in hatred as his Ki shooting up to it's fullest potential. He darted forward, faster then Kuririn had seen him move before - only to fall to the ground in an ungraceful heap as Kamesennin's staff caught him behind the ear. The tall Saiyan didn't stir. 

Bojack smirked, and Kuririn glanced at Kakarott as his friend's Ki also began to rise. 

"Kakarott," Kamesennin whispered furiously, "if you attack him now, you'll lose and he'll kill you! He might be a bit tired, but he's not done for, and all of his soldiers will join in!" 

"Please convey my apologies to his country," Bojack said. The tall Islander turned, and strode off the field as the crowd began to murmur. 

"The Winner of the Island Tournament is King Bojack!" The announcer cried, the gong drowned out as the crowd roared. 

Kuririn placed a hand on Kakarott's shoulder, seeing the clenched fists and bristling tail. 

"Let's go," Kamesennin said abruptly. "Kuririn, Kakarott, bring Radditz." 

Obediently Kuririn walked over, hoisting up Radditz by one shoulder as Kakarott slowly took the other. Kuririn watched as Kakarott shot one final, angry glare in the direction Bojack had disappeared, and then the two boys followed after their sensei, dragging Radditz between them. 

At the edges of the crowd a pale man smirked. "King Cold should find **this** interesting," Kiwi said as he turned to return to his homeland.   
  


Kuririn panted as he dodged another blow. He'd offered to spar with Kakarott, seeing that the Saiyan needed something to take out his anger on, but he was beginning to wonder how much energy his friend had left. 

Kakarott screamed as he let fly a series of kicks. Kuririn blocked and dodged, before returning his own attacking low kick. Kakarott jumped it, spinning to whip Kuririn in the face with his tail. Kuririn went flying into a tree. 

"Okay," Kuririn said, climbing to his feet, one hand over the red welt on his cheek, "are you calmer yet?" 

"I didn't get to spar with Prince Vegeta and show him all my new techniques," Kakarott scowled. 

Kuririn rubbed his cheek. "I thought your tails were sensitive." 

"Only when you pull them." 

A low groan grabbed their attention and the two boys scampered back to the campsite. 

Radditz opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. "Vegeta-sama?" 

Kuririn watched as Kakarott fought to keep his face straight. The boy couldn't tell what emotion his Saiyan friend was fighting since he personally hadn't found Vegeta to be much of a friendly person to anyone. Eventually Kuririn decided it was probably just shock at seeing someone stronger then you die, the shock of knowing that you too are mortal. Kami knew, that was how he felt. 

Radditz had apparently remembered now. He drew back his lips in a rather feral snarl, jumping to his feet and raising his Ki without making any noise. His fists were clenched tightly, and his tail unwrapped itself from his waist and began to lash. 

Then the tension left the tall Saiyan. With a defeated sigh he turned to face Kuririn and Kakarott, pain in his face. 

"Kakarott." 

Kakarott turned around, scowling. "What?" 

"Are you going back to the Empire soon?" Radditz began clenching his fists again. 

Kuririn watched Kakarott, curious as his normally happy-go-lucky friend searched for words. "I guess so." 

"What happened to Vegeta-sama's body?" 

Suddenly a thought hit Kuririn. Radditz was scared. Confused the boy began pondering this, only half listening to the conversation. 

"It was disintegrated in the blast," Kakarott scowled, his own tail lashing. 

Surely not scared of Bojack. Even though Radditz didn't know of the apology yet, he must know Bojack hadn't shown any interest in killing anyone else. After all, they were all still alive. 

Radditz nodded. 

"They might not believe me," Kakarott said softly. 

They. 'Of course!' Kuririn felt like smacking himself upside the head. 'The Saiyans! Radditz was accompanying Vegeta - if something happened to the Prince, he'll be the one answering for it!' 

Radditz looked away. 

'He doesn't want to go back,' Kuririn felt a pang of sympathy. He wouldn't want to go back in a situation like this either. 

"Wait!" Kakarott yelled suddenly. "Bra's dragonballs! She said they could grant any wish! Radditz! If we gathered the dragonballs, maybe we could wish him back to life!" 

Radditz glared at his brother. "I have no idea **what** you are talking about," He snapped bluntly. 

"The dragonballs can grant more wishes then immortality," Kamesennin finally spoke up. "I don't know if they have to power to bring someone back to life though." 

"Would it hurt to try?" Kuririn piped up, not wanting Kakarott's idea discounted so soon. 

"No," Kamesennin said, sitting down. 

"We'd have to find Bra," Kakarott frowned thoughtfully. 

"And we'd have to find her before she makes a wish on them," Kuririn reminded him. 

"Well, that solves that, then," Radditz snarled. "You can't possibly expect to find one Human girl so quickly." 

"We can if we could find a dragonball," Kakarott argued. "Then she'd find us." 

"And how the hell would we find one of them?" Radditz demanded, almost yelling. 

"Don't you have a dragonball amulet?" Kuririn asked. 

"A **broken** one," Radditz glared at him. 

"Couldn't we get someone to fix it?" Kuririn suggested. 

"Yeah!" Kakarott said, sounding excited. "Kamesennin, isn't your sister a sorcerer?" 

"No, she's a witch," Kamesennin corrected him. 

"Hey, if she's a witch she knows all kind of magic, right?" Kuririn asked. 

Kamesennin nodded. 

"Do you think **she** could find a dragonball for us? Using her magic?" Kuririn pressed him. 

Kamesennin sighed, glancing towards the beach. "Probably. I don't know, I'm not my sister's keeper." 

"Where is she?" Kakarott demanded. 

"She lives on a small island south of the Red Alliance," Kamesennin told them. 

"You don't like this idea, do you?" Radditz asked Kamesennin bluntly. 

"I used to be quite active in politics, Radditz. You must remember - Vegeta** is** the Saiyan crown prince. There are many people who would rather he was dead." 

"He has a brother. Jada would just assume his name and title." 

"But Jada isn't as well known or as strong," Kamesennin said gently. "There are less people that dislike him." 

"You knew he wouldn't win that match," Radditz stated, a note of accusation in his tone. 

Kamesennin nodded. "I realized he probably wouldn't be talked out of it. He didn't realize he was out-matched quick enough, or if he did, he ignored his own common sense and kept fighting instead of forfeiting. Bojack doesn't like competition. Island fighters reaching a certain level either become intensely loyal to him or leave. Or have fatal accidents." 

"It doesn't matter," Kakarott said. "Vegeta-sama is dead, so lets go find Kamesennin's sister!" 

"I didn't know you liked Vegeta so much," Kuririn mused. 

Kakarott frowned. 

"It's not that," Radditz said softly. "Our father, Bardock, was... promoted to a position of King's advisor, although I don't know why. Nobody seems to. Some of the older members of the court grumble about it to this day. Our family line is considered a third-class line, and it's an incredible honour to be in such close service to the royal family. If... when they find out Prince Vegeta is dead I'll be disgraced, and so will my family, most likely." 

Kakarott nodded. 

"Saiyans will do amazing things to keep their pride," Kamesennin murmured. 

"Oh," Kuririn said. 

"We'd better get going, we have a long flight," Kakarott said, levitating slightly. 

"Oh? The island isn't too far," Kamesennin said. 

"But we have to fly over most of the world," Kakarott pointed out. 

"Try flying east," Kamesennin chuckled. 

"East?" 

Kamesennin nodded. "The world is round. If you go east or west, eventually you'll end up where you started. Uranai's island is closer to us if you fly east. I suggest you head east until you hit the Red Alliance lands, then go south till you reach the bottom of them. The island is a day's flight, and you should be able to see it from up high. It's just a very large mountain." 

"All right," Radditz nodded. 

"Here," Kamesennin fished into a pocket in his clothes and pulled out a small pouch. He emptied it onto his hand, revealing three beans. 

"Senzu?" Kuririn asked. 

"Yep," Kamesennin said. "You can each take one. Use it carefully. Remember it completely heals all your wounds, even if you're dying. Just as long as you're not all ready dead." 

"Thanks!" Kuririn grinned as he took his. The others followed suit. 

"You're coming?" Radditz asked Kuririn. 

"...Yeah," Kuririn nodded. 

"Why?" 

"Um... why not?" Kuririn gave him a weak grin. "Finding the dragonballs sounds like an adventure. It beats going back to training so soon." 

"I heard that, Kuririn," Kamesennin glared at him, then winked. 

"Let's go!" Kakarott said, clearly eager to get moving. 

"Shouldn't you start tomorrow, with provisions and a good night's rest under your belt?" Kamesennin asked. 

"Nope," Kakarott shook his head. "We have to catch up to Bra as quickly as possible." 

"Well, good luck then, I suppose," Kamesennin said. 

Radditz and Kuririn joined Kakarott in the air, and the three flew off, speeding up and disappearing rapidly from sight. 

Kamesennin shook his head. "Kami, it's in your hands now. I'm too old to get back into politics, but whatever the outcome, this should make for interesting watching." 

The old man turned and strolled towards the beach, ready to resume his favourite pasttime.   
  


Bra discreetly checked her amulet. No doubt about it - the next dragonball was in the tower in front of her. It had to be a sorcerer's tower, which made sense since Red City was second only to Capsule City in terms of sorcery. This particular tower was on the outskirts of the city - a wise position. 

Dismissing her thoughts, the black-haired girl tuned to the task at hand. She had located the dragonball here earlier, but now it was dark and no one was around. Pulling a small silvery box out of her pouch she placed it or the door and concentrated, muttering under her breath. A few seconds later she pushed the door open, and carefully closed it behind her as she slipped inside. 

"That zoom function was such a brilliant idea," She smirked as she used the amulet to pinpoint the dragonball's position. The amulet said down, so she found some stairs and down she went, a wary eye out for other people. 

Two floors down she pushed open another door. The room had sorcerer's equipment everywhere. Bra took it all in, a few interesting things catching her eye. She saw it then, half hidden behind some other bits and pieces. Sneaking a couple objects into her pouch as she went, Bra made her way to the precious orange sphere. She had just picked it up when the door opened. Quicker then thought, Bra shoved it behind her back. 

"Well, well, who do we have here?" A middle-aged man walked into the room. 

"Hi! My name is Perdy, and I'm the new maid," Bra smiled in greeting. 

"Maid? I clean my own lab," The man said, narrowing his eyes. 

"Oh! Well, I wasn't told! I'm so sorry for invading your private room," Bra said quickly, giving a slight bow as she began edging her way closer to the door. 

"What are you holding, girl?" 

"Huh? I'm holding something?" Bra bought her hands up. "Oh, I picked this up to dust! You gave me such a start I forgot to put it back down!" She laughed nervously and scampered over to the bench, replacing the dragonball. 

The man watched her, still looking hostile. He pulled a black object from his coat and fiddled with it. "There's quite a bit of magic around you. Have you been stealing **my** possessions?" 

"Of course not!" Bra said hotly. "My parents raised me much better then that!" 

"Then will you please step over beside the mirror?" He pointed to a full length sheet of glass placed against a wall. 

"Um, sure," Bra said, reluctantly. Once she was beside the mirror the man started to mutter under his breath. Bra listened, not familiar with his chanting. 

He finished and stared at her. "Princess Bulma of Capsule Kingdom?" He said, shocked. 

Bra looked in the mirror, staring at herself in surprise. She touched her hair... blue, not black. 'Oh damn! His spell must have cancelled my disguise illusion! This is not good,' She thought. 

"Yes," Bra/Bulma said, turning back to face him haughtily. "I am Princess Bulma, and you are?" 

"My name is Gero," The elderly sorcerer stated, "and I must say, I could pull strings and have war declared on your kingdom for this intrusion." 

Bulma winced. 'Mum and Dad would **not** be pleased... They're all ready going to scold me for sneaky off again this year.' 

"Now, now," Bulma said hastily, "There's not need to over-react!" 

Gero peered at her, frowning. "Is this a case of sabotage, or spying?" 

"What?! How could you accuse me of such things?!" Bulma demanded indignantly. 

"Your title only protects you so far," Gero warned her. "Do tell me, who else knows you're here?" 

Bulma felt her heart jump. That was not a good question. If other people knew she was here, there could be all sorts of nasty political repercussions. If no one knew she was here... no one could connect Gero to her disappearance. 

Gero straightened. "I'll tell you what. I'll overlook this since I can't see that any harm has been done. I'll even avoid mentioning anything to your parents or my own Overlord, but I never want to find you anywhere near my labs without my express permission! Do you understand?!" He glared at her. 

Bulma nodded mutely. 

"Ichigou! Escort the Princess out of the building," Gero called over his shoulder. Bulma watched in interest as a golem appeared in the doorway. There were many golem in Capsule City, but she hadn't ever seen one this humanoid. Gero waved her off, and she obediently followed the creation out of the building. It walked very fluidly, she thought, with excellent motor control for an artificial creature. 

"Don't come back," Ichigou spoke. 

Bulma frowned. 'What a rude thing to enspell a golem to say when seeing people out the door!' 

"Hmph," The blue-haired princess scowled at it, then ran off in the direction of her camp. First up, she had to check all her spells, get her disguise illusion back up, and then it was time to plan. This was going to make the getting that dragonball a **lot** more difficult!   


**- Finis Chapter 8 -**

_Chapter Nine: Come on our search for Bra! What? Gero still has the dragonball! _**Coming soon!**   
Please review this if you actually got this far through. I need to know there's someone out there waiting for the next part! :)   


   [1]: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=directory-authorProfile&userid=11297
   [2]: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=directory-authorProfile&userid=11741



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